It Will Be Okay
by Dark Fire47
Summary: The night of the Kyubi attack, the Third Hokage insists that Minato allow him to perform the sealing of the Kyubi so that Minato may live and lead The Hidden Leaf Village. Too bad Naruto still grows up with nobody to raise or guide him.. Well, almost nobody. The Kyubi could be counted as a person when it's the only one who speaks to Naruto, right?
1. Chapter 1

**Title** : **It will Be Okay.**

 **Description** : The night of the Kyubi attack, the Third Hokage insists that Minato allow him to perform the sealing of the Kyubi so that Minato may live and lead The Hidden Leaf Village. Too bad Naruto still grows up with nobody to raise or guide him.. Well, almost nobody.

A/N : Before we start off, let's get disclaimers and important information out of the way.

 **Disclaimer**

I do not own Naruto and this is for entertainment purposes only. Naruto is owned by Viz Media and Masashi Kishimoto.

 **Please Read**

The story will have loads of flashbacks and possibly some large timeskips, but differentiating between past and present should be easy. There is also a chance it will also switch around different narratives and points of view. I say there is a chance because I don't know where this story will lead to yet or exactly how it will get there. I have high hopes for it though, and I hope everyone enjoys it.

There will be dark times in this story, along with love, death, life and despair. I'm not yet sure about any sexual themes, but knowing me, don't be surprised if some do show up. Well then, let's get to it.

 **CHAPTER ZER0**

The village was in ruins. Fire blazed everywhere and people were hard pressed to get everything under control again. Easier said than done. The attack was so sudden and unexpected. Nobody had been prepared to be fighting or running from the Kyubi. The Hidden leaf was a strong village though, and together, they had managed to survive the night, though not without their fair share of losses.

One that hurt the village more than many others...

Hiruzen Sarutobi, most commonly known as the Sandaime [Third] Hokage.

Minato crouched next to the older mans body, a look of distress plastered across his face _. I should have been the one to die,_ he thought. He was the Hokage now, afterall. And it was his fault that the Kyubi had gotten loose.. _No_ , he corrected. It was that masked mans fault, however he had failed to stop the masked man, so he could not help but feel responsible.

 _Yet relieved._

The Sandaime had done a great thing for everyone. Not only had he saved a lot of people inside the village, Kushina lived, along with himself and most importantly, his very own son.. Naruto.

 _Naruto? Naruto!_

Minato shot to his feet and looked around frantically. Naruto and Kushina were just on the other side of the clearing that the Sandaime lay at. He spared one more glance at the old man before rushing towards his son and wife. Kushina was holding Naruto tightly, trying and failing to fight back tears from the entire ordeal. She was sad. She was angry. But more than anything, she was grateful to be able to hold her Son. She thought...

"Kushina," Minato whispered softly, crouching next to his family. She turned to Minato and smiled weakly, her red hair framing her face perfectly. Something that always made Minato smile.

"We're okay," Kushina began, running a hand through her crying sons hair. "Little Naruto.. He's healthy as can be. And I'll be fine with a little rest," She explained, having inspected her son and then herself while Minato and Hiruzen worked.

"Of course, you Uzumaki are the toughest around!" They both smiled at that. Minato always did cheer her up. And the Uzumaki WERE notoriously resilient. If only the same could be said for the others...

Kushina nodded her head in the affirmitive. The smile dropped from her face though as she looked at her Son. "Minato.. The Third.. You taught him the Dead Demon Consuming Seal [1] and the Eight Trigams Seal [2] That quickly.. He wasn't praised of the God of Shinobi for nothing, but..."

Nobody was perfect, and though he was incredibly strong and intelligent, he was not a Sealing expert.. Though, he compensated by thinking on his feet. Half of the Kyubi had been sealed inside Naruto. Unfortunately, it wasn't the more favorable part of the Kyubi. That was fine, but.. The other half had been sealed inside..

Kushina turned to the center of the clearing. There was a large Urn with intricate seals covered on it from top to bottom. That was where the other half of the Kyubi was stored. This would have been a wonderful thing, except.. Even if it was only half, The Kyubi was too incredible of a being to be sealed away into an inanimate object. Forever, anyway.

"Hai.. However, don't worry. It was actually a genius plan. At most, we have five or six years to prepare to seal the other half of the Kyubi but that's plenty of time to decide and prepare. We won't be caught off guard like this time." He assured her, a confident smile forming on his face. Kushina couldnt help but mirror him and smile herself.

"You're right," She agreed, turning her attention back to Naruto. "But now my Son is a Jinchuriki.. I've lived that life, Minato.. I don't want the same for him." She started, taking a deep breath and kissing her sons forehead. "I don't want enemy shinobi coming to kill my son before he can fight back. Before he can mold his chakra. Before he can crawl."

Minato frowned, placing his hand on her shoulder. He understood what she meant. Narutos life would be in danger. Twice as much as any regular Jinchuriki. He was after all the son of the Fourth Hokage who had Enemies nationwide. The Stone, most notably. "Hai.. I think we are thinking the same thing.. While hiding his Jinchuriki status from the village is already impossible, we can contain the information. Along with the fact that he is our son. Just until he is strong enough that we can train him to protect himself." He suggested. He could make it a villagewide secret. The only people who knew of his Heritage were the council and two of the Three Sannin. And they weren't here yet..

"That will work.. Won't it Naruto?" Kushina asked quietly, staring down at her son.

It would have to.

That being said, She wasn't sure if it was a blessing or a curse that her son looked so much like them both. And all of his features were so...

And that's a wrap for the introduction stage of this story. I didn't quite want to call it chapter one yet, as it's more of an explaining of how things are going to get to chapter one. Which brings me to my next piece of information. Incase you can't tell when you begin chapter 1, there is a large timeskip leaving off of chaprer 0 that chapter 1 begins on.

Notes:

[1] Dead Demon Consuming Seal - The jutsu Minato used to split the Kyubi into halves along with sealing half inside of himself

[2] Eight Trigams Seal - The Jutsu used to seal the second half of the Kyubi into Naruto.


	2. His Beginning

**CHAPTER ONE**

Vibrant. From his tomato red hair to his azure blue eyes to his choice of clothing. Well, it wasn't his first choice, but he donned a bright orange jumpsuit which many would consider unsuitable for a shinobi. That in mind, nobody should be surprised to hear Naruto Uzumaki stood out in the color of the trees and light mist that surrounded him.

And that worried him lately.

Especially now that he was running through unknown lands with no clue if he was being followed by Konoha shinobi or not. He doubted it. He knew they would be looking frantically for him even now, but he had put an incredible amount of distance between himself and that place.

His eyes searched around frantically and he stopped himself from moving. He couldn't see all that well but his hearing and sense of smell were second to none and he heard something coming from ahead. He swallowed nervously before expelling a breath he didn't know he was holding.

" **They are native shinobi,"** the Kyubi spoke in a hushed voice in his head. Well, attempted. The Kyubi's voice sounded guttural, feral and intimidating no matter how it spoke, though Naruto got used to that a long time ago.

'Is that a good or bad thing..' He wondered. He was entirely alone besides the beast inside him and he had no intention of using that if they were enemies. Nobody had a reason to attack him, but he was a child, a jinchuriki and on the run from Konoha. But.. These shinobi were not Konoha and they did not know him from a hole in the ground. And he desperately needed directions. He was out of food and down to his last bit of Yen [1].

' _Well, if I try to sneak past them and get caught, I'll look suspicious no matter what I am. I'll have to be .. Open_ ,' He decided. Of course, he wouldn't spill all his secrets, but he was not an enemy and thus hiding would be a bad choice.

Decision made, he stepped forward into the mist and trees, looking around lost before he heard a sharp whistling sound. He knew well what it was, but he did not move even an inch as the shuriken approached. There was no need, and he didn't wanna seem like a threat.

"Ah!" He shouted as the sharp piece of metal embed itself in the tree just behind him. He even went the extra mile and covered his face, not that it would matter if the Shuriken had been aimed at his face. But he figured now he looked like a real civilian.

"Shit!" He heard someone curse. Not even a second later three shinobi descended from the trees above him, all around him. "Sorry Kid!" One of the men quickly apologized.

'Good. They aren't immediately hostile, just cautious,' Naruto noted, dropping his arms from his face just enough to examine the people who were surrounding him. "A-ah.. Gomen for intruding Shinobi-san!" He all but shouted, doing his best to look afraid and out of place.

"No way Kid! Don't worry about it," Someone else spoke. These people were actually nice, shockingly enough. But it was weird... They seemed so open to the idea that a kid could be wondering around here alone. While he wasn't unhappy, he was curious. Shouldn't they be just a little suspicious? He could actually sense their genuine concern...

"We thought you might have been one of those damn Mist Rebels trying to sneak up on us," The shinobi explained, patting his head. "I mean, we didn't hear you coming at all and you're right on the edge of our camp," He added, looking at the child curiously.

Naruto squinted his eyes for a fraction of a second, trying to process and utilize the Shinobi's words. Mist Rebels. Sneak up on. That wasn't much, but it was plenty. Naruto's mind began working in overtime to form a proper response and his words were escaping his lips in no time. "Me? R-Rebel? No! That's not it. I just.. I don't know where to go so I was trying to move quietly and slowly. I didn't know anyone was here! I swear! I-I can leave!"

They mentioned rebels. And judging by the tone of voice, the man despised rebels. All three shinobi were armed and ready and though they all showed genuine concern, one looked around to be sure that they were all alone. Meaning THEY were alone. Odd, because all three wore Mist village headbands. Why would they be camped outside of their own village and expecting to be attacked by their own people? Were they at war? He tried to read up on all the current ongoing of the different major shinobi villages before he fled, but Mist and Stone had not been gotten to. _Of course_..

"No! There is no need." The first shinobi explained, smiling down at the child. "You're alone, aren't you? And you don't seem like a Rebel to me, meaning.."

Naruto got the hint quickly and nodded, looking down towards the ground. He didn't know exactly who the rebels were, but he knew that they were the groups enemies and they were not very well regarded. The shinobi were filled with hate and anger when they spoke even just the word Rebel. He could make a safe story from that.

"My parents were killed by the rebels, so..."

"Tch," The third Shinobi smoke, shaking his head. The answer was expected, it seemed. Not that it helped any. "Those damn Rebels don't care about anything or anyone but themselves, see? They make an orphan out of this damn kid.. I can't wait to take the village back." The man stated. It seemed like everyone agreed, but nobody responded verbally to him.

"I'm sorry, kid.. Listen, We're gonna get those rebels and go back home one day. For now though.. Come eat with us," The first shinobi offered. Naruto looked at the man, unsure. Rebels had taken the Mist? What Rebels. What could the Mist have to go to war for? Well, he wasn't sure but he would have to take it one step at a time, and finding a safe place and food for the time being was not an offered to be passed up. "Are you sure?" He asked meekly, scratching the side of his face with his index finger.

"Hai. It looks like it has been a while since you've eaten. Let's start with that and we can get to know each other, okay?" The second man suggested. Perfect. Hook, line and sinker.

"I-" Naruto was cut off by the growling of his stomach, making him blush. Not that they could see it in this mist. Good timing, though.

"Yes." He concluded, taking a deep breath. The two shinobi smiled, though the third just shook his head. He wasn't unhappy to be taking on Naruto, but the situation certainly didn't please him.

The shinobi escorted Naruto to the middle of their camp. It was small and out in the open, but they were covered by trees and it had everything the small group would need. The silent shinobi made a fire while the second and third set up four logs around it for everyone to sit. Then the food preparation began. Today's meal consisted of roasted fish on a stick. Quite a decent size too. Naruto sat quietly while the others worked and nobody seemed to mind. He used that time to take a better look at the Shinobi, noting their different details. What weapons they had and the positions of their tools, mostly. He also noted that their were two tents.

That made him think. ' _One tent was not especially large but it offers enough room for three people if you tried. And since they are hiding, one tent would be preferred over two, right? And aren't most shinobi cells made up of 4 shinobi total? That's right.. Then where is the fourth?_ '

"So kid, how long have you been wandering out here alone?" He was broken from his thoughts by the question, but it did not take too long to respond.

"Um, just over a week, I think..." He didn't sound sure, but that was for effect. He just told them how long he had been on the run from Konoha.

"Ah. That's good. I mean, not good, but at least it hasn't been too long, you know? And in a week and a half WE were the ones to find you, if it were Rebels, who knows what could happen. I hear they-"

"Hush! Don't scare the damn kid." One of the other shinobi almost shouted. Naruto smiled at that. These people really were nice.. And like a family.. He always wanted a family..

"Anyway, we can ask him questions after we eat. Right?" The shinobi spoke as he passed a fish to Naruto.

"O-Oh. Thank you!" He responded genuinely. He liked fish. He definitely liked it when his stomach was empty. And it was free. Naruto waited until everyone else to recieve their fish before he doing anything. He wasn't used to having to wait for others, but even he knew it was proper manners. Fortunately he didn't have to wait long.

"Itadakimasu!"

They all ate in silence, taking the time to enjoy the food. Naruto noted that there was still one whole fish skewered above the fire. That confirmed his suspicions that there was another member of the team. He wondered when they would come back. He was almost eager to meet them. These people, they were so overwhelmingly pleasant. Or maybe it was because he was used to people looking at him with hatred and pretending he didn't exist?

Anyone normal would seem kind then, wouldn't they?

"OH!" One of the Shinobi spoke quickly, as soon as Naruto finished his fish (before anyone else, I might add). "Shit! We forgot! What's your name, Kid?" The man asked, leaning forward and taking another bite of his fish.

Naruto opened his mouth to answer but was quickly stopped.

" **Be wary, brat. Your name holds value to the right people**." The Kyubi warned. Naruto internally frowned. Obviously. While he wasn't sure who knew he was missing, he wasn't about to take the risk of exposing his whole name. Something simple.

"Nalan Uzumaki!" Naruto announced cheerfully. The mist knew of the Uzumaki, of course, so it would seem real. Of course, most older shinobi knew of the Uzumaki. And that WAS his surname , so it was half true.

But then.. Why did everyone take pause to that? And.. Why was the air changing... Naruto eyed the Shinobi carefully, waiting for a response.

"Uzumaki, huh?" The first shinobi spoke, lowering his meal back onto the fire.

' _Something is wrong_ ,' Naruto thought to himself. ' _They are getting angry..'_ He could sense it. He could sense their happiness leaving them and being replaced by something darker. Anger. Hatred. What was that last one? Disgust? It seemed so familiar. Just like Home...

"The Uzumaki were the owners of a famous Bloodline, weren't they, Marin?" The more ill-tempered of the group spoke. The question was not really a question, Naruto could tell. "Yeah.." Was the grim response.

" **Move.** " That was all the warning he needed before Naruto jumped backwards from the log he had been sitting on, just in time to avoid being punctured by three separate shuriken and a kunai. ' _Damn it!'_ thought to himself. What the hell had he done wrong? His name? They hated the Uzumaki? Or was it everyone with a Bloodline? Were THEY the rebels that were so hated? People with a bloodline? This was not a good situation. They were all armed and he had nothing but.. The skewer his fish was on..

"Rebel brat! How stupid are you!" One of the men shouted, stalking towards Naruto who had now backed himself up against a tree. "W-what?" He answered weakly, trying to stall to formulate a plan. The other two stood by the campfire, waiting. They did not appear ready to get involved. One person would be enough to kill a normal shinobi they assumed, and he was just a civilian kid. Well, to their knowledge.

None of them were sensors, fortunately.

"You come into our camp, trick us into feeding you and then tell us YOU are a rebel child. Pathetic. I didn't think even rebels were that stupid. Damn animals," The man before Naruto spat, pulling another kunai from the holster on his leg.

' _Seems like that's it after all. Bloodline vs. none bloodline users? Is that what this is all about.. I guess dumber wars have been started. Damnit. Well, I have one advantage..'_

"W-Wait! I'm just a kid! I-I haven't even unlocked my bloodline yet! I don't wanna be a shinobi!" He shouted in defense. Maybe he could turn the tides?

"And you never will, Brat! Die!" That was all the answer he was going to get, it seemed. All three men were resolved to see him die for his Bloodline.. How.. Familiar. People who didn't even know him wanted him dead for something he couldn't control. Could anyone be trusted or was the world out to get him?

The man scowled one last time before he jammed the Kunai forward aiming right between his eyes, fully expecting to kill the child in one move. Where had all that compassion gone from before? Were these the same people? They were offering him food and shelter just a while ago and now.. Tch..

 _It will be okay._

Naruto decided. He wouldn't die so easily. He would use everything he had right here and now to take out all three. He didn't know how strong they were, but he had information and they had none. A good Shinobi could do anything with the right information and a proper plan. HE knew that the one closest to the campfire was the leader. He made the decision to take Naruto into the camp and the others didn't seem to expect him to even bother with him, and he was considered scum. And THEY didn't know he was not just some civilian.

Konoha didn't do much for him, but he knew 3 jutsu and would end this with only one.

Well, that was the plan.

Just before the kunai made contact with Naruto's skull, he was gone; replaced with the log he had been sitting on previously. The log they had provided. He was fighting now for his life. He had trained so much in secret but never once had he had to fight someone for his life. And as he lowered the skewer into the back of the head of the squad leader, he remembered he had never killed anyone before this either.

There was no resistance from anyone as he stabbed the man, ending him in just an instant. They were still in shock that their opponent was capable of using jutsu. Not only was Naruto pretending to be an untrained civilian, weak and defenseless, but he should have been too young to mold chakra. It should have been easy.

Yeah, right.

Before the body of the leader slumped to the ground, Naruto quickly snatched the weapons pouch from the mans leg, wasting no time grabbing a kunai and throwing it at max speed at the back of the head of the man who had tried to kill him. It sailed right past the shinobi between them who was only just now drawing a weapon, but it hit the mark directly, killing the attacker in an instant. No matter what your skill level, fighting without proper information meant you were fighting at a disadvantage.

Naruto pulled out the next weapon, another kunai, throwing it at the third and final shinobi. There was a clang of metal hitting metal as the man managed to parry the kunai as he turned to face Naruto. ' _Damn_.' Naruto cursed in his head. There was only one kunai left and he had blown the surprise attack. He wasn't fast enough to kill all three before they noticed and retaliated. He was still too new and practice could only get you so far without experience.

And this guy had to be at least chunin.. He couldn't fight a chunin one on one..

"Gaki! You are fucking dead!" The man shouted with certainty, rushing at Naruto, now on his guard. He wasn't going to make the mistake of letting down his guard like they did before.

" **Tch. Stupid Gaki. Your plan failed. What now?** " The Kyubi questioned. Naruto wouldn't waste time responding. He never had anything posotive to say anyway.

He still had the shadow clone jutsu, but..

The shinobi was on him in an instant, slashing downwards at him with his Kunai. It took Naruto's full speed to block the attack but before he could raise his kunai again, the man was already aiming and executing his next attack. He wouldn't have time to cast the shadow clone jutsu if he didn't put some space between the them.

Naruto jumped backwards with his full might, avoiding a lethal blow in exchange for a shallow cut down his shoulder that made him cry out and drop his kunai when he landed on his back. It wasn't life threatening, but damn it hurt! Kunai hurt. He wasn't used to that kind of sharp pain.

"You're finished brat!" The man exclaimed, forcing Naruto to open eyes that he didn't realize he had clenched in pain, just in time to see the man descending upon him with his foot, ready to stomp his chest in. Naruto reacted quickly, rolling to his side and jumping to his feet. Naruto was fast, but not fast enough that the man had to take his eyes off the kid. He was a chunin after all.

Before Naruto could think of what to do next, The shinobi was closing in with his Kunai at the ready. It quickly became clear that he wasn't going to be able to separate himself from the man long enough. That left.. One choice. Naruto glared at the man, raising his hands to make a seal. The man smirked at that, realizing that this was his chance. The brat wouldn't be able to dodge and form seals at once.

He didn't realize that Naruto knew that though. The Shinobi was aiming for his heart. The target was small and hard to hit. Naruto couldn't avoid taking the hit, but he could survive atleast. Just a moment before the hit connected Naruto jump upwards and away from the sharp end of the blade. It dug deep into his skin but hit his abdomen and not anything immediately vital.

The Shinobi scowled deeper at this, already beginning to launch his second attack, but never got to execute it as he was took a hard blow to his spine, courtesy of an exact replica of the kid he had just stabbed. He was so consumed by his anger and determination to kill the child he didn't realize there was another presence behind him. But it wouldn't matter. Unarmed, the brat didn't have the force it would take to kill a shinobi. And a clone was just that, a clone.

He turned and with a single precise swipe of his kunai, the clone was disposed of with the telltale signal of a poof of smoke. "Tch. Nice trick, brat. Won't be enough though." He stated as he turned his attention to the still living Naruto who was clutching his new wound. The brat was laying on the ground using most of his strength just to crane his neck upwards enough to glare at his opponent. "Damn it," the kid hissed as the man approached. "You're going to pay for that!"

"Tch. No, I won't." The man responded angrily. He wasn't going to give the kid even another second to defend himself. Not another word. He threw his kunai right at the child's body, a smile creeping over his face as he realized the brat wasn't gonna be able to dodge another hit. And true to his hopes, the kunai hit Naruto right in the stomach with enough force to go all the way through the kids unarmored body.

What he did not hope for or expect was for the sight to be accompanied with a second poof of smoke. Before he could question what had happened, his life was cut short by a hushed thump, the sound of metal hitting bone. "Idiot," Naruto hissed in pain as he watched the mans body collapse. He used a clone jutsu. Of course he made more than one. And he used the time his clones provided to get the kunai he had dropped earlier. The rest, self explanatory.

Naruto dropped to a sitting position himself, clutching the bloody wound the man had inflicted as a ripple of pain shot through his body.

"Damn it.." Naruto muttered. It would be okay. The Kyubi could heal him from a would like this, but it didn't help the pain any. And not to mention-

"Wow! I didn't think you could pull that one out Gaki! Good Job!" Someone said, making Naruto's neck snap to look at the speaker. ' _Shit. The fourth member?_ ' He wondered."They fucked up! You did a damn good job taking out the first two like a REAL shinobi. Stealth and Wits. But that last guy? What a pathetic excuse for a shinobi he was. Just watched his team die from underestimating you and then did the same thing. Didn't even bother to use jutsu. Well, whatever. His loss, your gain, am I right?" The man shouted.

Shit. This guy was different, Naruto could immediately tell. He was bandaged from head to toe and sported a sword on his back bigger than Naruto himself. And he hadn't noticed the man coming. With everything going on, he was distracted just trying to stay alive. The man seemed to have seen it all, too. He watched but didn't intervene.. This guy was an asshole. If he was an enemy he let his friends die. If he was an ally, he was going to let him die. What was the deal?

"... You didn't do anything.." Naruto pointed out, angry and confused. He was frantic too, but it didn't show. There was no point. He could already tell, running wasn't an option. The man would catch him. And fighting was even less of an option. The man knew his entire arsenal of techniques, if two jutsu could be called that. And Naruto was wounded.. But he was still pissed off.

"Why would I? I wanted to watch. The strong take the weak in this world kid. If you died then good riddance. But if you won against the odds.. Well, that's good. You earned your life today. If anything, I would have just killed the rest of them if they won. They were too weak to live anyway, getting outplayed by a brat like you." The bandaged man taunted, shaking his head.

Naruto glared at the man harder than he thought possible. That didn't make him feel any better at all. "If you're not gonna help or kill me then what are you doing here? How did you find us anyway!?" Naruto shouted, wincing at the pain that shot through his body when he exerted himself.

"Ah, I found their teammate by chance and they pointed us here.. Before I cleaved their head off, I mean. But anyway, I don't think I'll be leaving just yet.." The man stated. His mouth was covered but Naruto could tell the man was grinning under those bandages. Naruto was going to respond but then the mans words hit him. ' _Us?'_

Just as the thought entered Naruto's head, someone landed right next to the man. Someone a lot.. more feminine. And curvy.. "Don't just run off by yourself, Zabuza. I'm still watching you, remember?" The woman said teasingly, totally oblivious to everything else around her.

"Oh, but I found something interesting you wouldn't believe, Mizukage-Dono. Someone already took care of that little trouble we were gonna handle." He informed her, nodding hs head to Naruto.

The Mizukage turned her attention to Naruto. She was clearly a playful person, and quite strong herself, but any playful demeanor about her was replaced by shock at the sight before her. A single kid, surrounded by three dead shinobi. "Zabuza, just what did you-"

The man raised a hand in defense before chuckling. "Mizukage, I swear I didn't do anything. Ask the brat there." That earned him a heated glared from the brat in particular. "He did it all. Killed the jounin and two chunin all by himself. They were asking for it. The jounin leader and the other weakling didn't even get a chance to breath. The last one was just a disappointment as a shinobi. Died by underestimating the wits of the kid." The man called Zabuza explained.

The woman looked at the battlefield for a moment, imagining how the battle could have played out in her head. It looked quick. A mostly one sided battle from the looks of it. A surprise attack. She didn't know HOW but it did seem like her companion was telling the truth.

The woman's expression softened then as she hopped down from the tree she and Zabuza had been standing in, landing just a few feet away from Naruto, who did not dare make a move against either of them. He just stared at the woman, a heavy nervous lump in his throat.

She didn't look at him as an enemy and he didn't sense even a drop of hatred in her, but.. He had already made the mistake of being too friendly once today and he almost died for it. And if that wasn't bad enough..

"Hello, Child. I'm Mei.. Mei Terumi. And that man their is one of my Shinobi, Zabuza Momochi. What is yours"

Naruto glared at the woman uneasily.. His name? That's exactly what screwed him over this time, and judging by the laugh that Zabuza allow to erupt from his bandaged mouth, he had been there for that part too. 'Damn it all..'

[1] Yen - Currency


	3. First contact

**A/N:** Greetings fans. If you aren't able to tell, I'm a bit new to this story thing. I've been a FF member for years but never have I tried to actually publish one of my stories before. That being said, I'm still trying to get the hang of things and find my own style. Layouts, explanations, all that Jazz. It may not be important but I know it could potentially bother some people. If that is the case, I ask that you please bare with me.

Also, I just posted the first two chapters of my story a few hours ago and the response isn't bad so far, as in, there is a response. I hadn't expected that. Not so quickly. To those of you who Favorited and or follow this story, thank you. It is greatly appreciated. I also ask that if you don't mind you review/comment the story. This can be positive or negative. If you know what I can improve on, let me know. If you enjoy things as they are, I'm eager to hear that too.

Well, that's all that for now. Let's get back to the story, right?

And as always, I do not own Naruto. It is instead owned by Viz media and Masashi Kishimoto, and I thank them for it.

 **Chapter 2**

(Time-skip from chapter one. I know, another one, right? Worry not, you'll all be filled in)

Naruto's piercing blue eyes stared for a long time at the large wooden gates of Konoha. He never expected not to see Konoha again, but did it have to be so soon? He wasn't nervous, honestly. It was more.. Anxious. His life was vastly different than it was when he had left. He could walk down the street of his new home and not be met with hatred, anger or scorn from ignorant strangers. Not that the people of his village knew his secrets like these people did, but still..

Well, he shouldn't have worried about that either, he decided. After all, it had been years and along with his life, he had changed. Even more so. He was MUCH stronger now as one of the most promising Genin of the Hidden Mist Village. And he was calmer than he was before. While he couldn't help but always look over his shoulder as a child in Konoha, he felt at ease in the Mist Village. Once he had successfully made the transition, everything about him had improved.

Not just skills.. His looks were different now too. When he left Konoha he was small and baby-faced. Even though he trained his mind and body in secret under the guidance of the Kyubi and.. Someone else he wasn't quite sure of, he looked frail. There was no trace of that now. While he was still built slim and not classified tall by any means, he hid away some muscle under his loose fit clothing. His hair was a blond color all around with the exception of the two bangs that framed his face. Those were red. And there wasn't nearly as much orange In his outfit as the day he left Konoha. He wore all black clothing, with the exception of the red Uzumaki Swirl on his back and the orange sash around his waist. They shouldn't recognize him, but -

"Does something trouble you, Uzumaki-Sama?" The feminine voice of his female teammate spoke out from his right. The girl was just as tall as Naruto was but somehow just as petite. Her jet black hair matched her eyes fairly well, along with her clothing. The girl stared at Naruto expectantly, though she did not make any move or speak to rush him. She just walked next to him, concern showing clear across her face.

She was always like this with him, anyone from the Mist would tell you. Her clan was made up of vicious fighters who fought with the best of them and bowed to nobody but those deemed worthy, those stronger than them. To those deemed worthy, they would gladly take their life on a whim; Those unworthy, who have their lives taken just as easily.

Naruto scratched the back of his head slowly as the Gates grew closer. "You're not supposed to be calling me that here, Sayuri-chan" He responded quietly. While it was much better Than N-Sama, he wasn't too big on the sama suffix at all. They were both young Genin. Equal. And people might get the wrong idea about their relationship.. Or they might get the right idea that he was team leader. "Eh, anyway, no. I'm fine. I just.. You know, entering a foreign village for the first time. And for the Chunin Exams no less. I wonder what it will be like.." He trailed off.

The girl stared at him for a second longer before turning his eyes forward. En-Sama was always worrying about her calling him Sama, and she promised she would stop once they had made it inside the leaf village to be safe, but they were not yet inside, so she disregarded him there. "Uzumaki-sama has nothing to worry about. Our team is second to none in teamwork in the Mist village, and you are second to none among the Mist Genin. If you are not the strongest in Genin in the exams, you should at the very least be capable of keeping your life in tact," She stated simply.

That was her way. Solid facts and the utmost faith in Naruto. She was not one to sugarcoat things. Nor did she over-exaggerate them. She took the information she had and utilized it to make the most sense.

"Sayuri ain't wrong," The final Genin member of their team spoke. He was the largest of the three, standing a full head taller than both Naruto and Sayuri, and he actually showed his muscles. He looked like a brute and admittedly, he might have been. But he wasn't unintelligent as most people might think when they first looked at him. "We have a mission to do here but otherwise I wouldn't be too worried. We just gotta look good enough to bring in some more missions for the village. And I doubt there will be anything to dangerous in these exams," He added thoughtfully, scrunching his nose up in thought.

"Don't be too sure, brats." The large man behind them spoke. Zabuza Momochi, their Jounin instructor just smirked under his bandages. "You brats are undoubtedly good or you wouldn't be here, but the same can be said for any of the other little snots in the Exams, remember. And they might not be as nice as you are. Some shinobi will kill just for fun if they can get away with it. Even Genin," Zabuza stated, staring at the back of Naruto's head.

He was sure that Naruto was already aware of this, but he wanted to be completely sure. He'd be damned if one of his brats slacked off and got killed for it. That would make him look horrible as a Sensei, and he wouldn't have anything like that ruin his good name as the Demon of the Mist. He said it for his whole team to hear, but if only Naruto understood that was fine. The other two would listen to that brat almost as easily as they listened to Zabuza.

"Yeah.. It's not uncommon for Genin to die in Chunin exams, though only the really unfit ones should worry about that." He agreed, nodding his head. But that wasn't his main concern.. The others didn't know what else COULD be a concern. But he knew.. If he was recognized it would call trouble.

And then.. There was an ominous feeling in the air the moment he made it to the gates of Konoha. Something was off. Not with the village itself. It was just.. His instinct. And his instinct hadn't driven him wrong once yet.

" **This will be exciting..** " The dark voice in his head spoke, making Naruto clench his jaw. He wasn't imagining it, was he? Could the Kyubi be talking about the fights sure to come in the exams, or something more? The Kyubi also had a knack for these things. That's most likely where Naruto picked up the ability.

"I don't think I have to re-explain the rules to you brats, but I will just once. The examiners should be able to do the rest. Anyway, these exams can be brutal. Killing is looked down upon, especially in the hidden leaf village. But these exams are larger than any before because the major villages are coming out. Sunagakure[1], Kumogakure[2], Konohagakure[3] and our good ol' Kirigakure[4] are all together for the first time in a while. That's everybody but Iwagakure[5]. Tensions will be high and there WILL be rivalries. You all shouldn't be in any, but be sure not to get caught up in stupid fights with others," He warned, glaring at his three Genin. "That being said, if you gotta fight. We ARE the bloody mist. If you wanna avoid it, fine, but if you can't avoid it, fight to win, even if it means killing your opponent."

Naruto didn't have to look over his shoulder to know Zabuza was staring at him while he said that, but he did anyway. A silence fell over the troup for a moment before Naruto faced forward again and shrugged his shoulders. "Hai, _Sensei._ " Naruto responded sharply, prompting the other two Genin to do the same.

"Hai, Zabuza-Sensei." Hiroshi.

"Hai, Zabuza." Sayuri.

"Good. I don't need Mei ripping me a new one because one of you was careless."

The group found themselves under the gate just a few seconds later and Zabuza was speaking with the guards there, showing the Konoha shinobi their identification. Naruto recognized the two chunin on watch. Kotetsu and Izumo. They were ALWAYS there. They were there the day he disappeared too..

He didn't speak a word. The less attention he attracted the better.

It wasn't long before they were granted access to the village. He knew there would be guards, ANBU and veteran Konoha shinobi everywhere, but basically they could explore this place as much as they wanted so long as they didn't cause trouble. And there was only one place Naruto wanted to see.

"Well, I'm hungry." Naruto stated simply, walking away from the others. There was not even a full second before Sayuri was right by his side again. Hiroshi paused a second, actually taking the time to decide what he would do next. Yeah, right.. He would follow Naruto, of course, he decided.

Zabuza trusted the three on their own, especially with Naruto. The two didn't see eye to eye most the time but they understood each other and Zabuza understood Naruto would not lead his team into trouble.

The team was relatively quiet as they navigated the village. It seemed to the other two that they were just looking for something random, however Naruto knew exactly where they were going. Ichiraku ramen. He remembered he used to love Ramen when he lived here. He didn't know how much he would like it now, but when he came by this place as a kid, the proprietors always looked at him kindly and treated him.. Like a human.

"There," Naruto pointed out, tilting his head to the Ramen stand. Sayuri followed faithfully and Hiroshi was not to be left behind. They were a quiet team most the time, but they were in sync. Sayuri trusted Naruto with everything. From her life to her meals. And while Hiroshi was a picky and healthy eater while Naruto could live off of junk food, there was no denying Naruto had good taste.. Even if it lacked in the health department.

The trio sat down together almost simultaneously, Naruto in the middle, Hiroshi on his left and Sayuri on his right. Naruto didn't take any time to order however he waited for his compantions to make up their minds before he spoke.

"This place seems wonderful, En-Sam.. Ah.. En-Kun.." Sayuri spoke scowling to herself at the disrespectful way in which she spoke. It was horrible not being able to speak the way she wanted, but as it was En's command, she would bare it.

"Yeah. Small place but the food smells delicious." Hiroshi admitted, his tongue beginning to water. He was more hungry than he originally thought.

"Of course. Would I ever steer you guys wrong?" Naruto joked, Making Hiroshi blanch. This earned a sharp look from Sayuri who was ready to threaten him for insulting her En-sama, jokingly or not, but she was cut off.

"Welcome to Ichiraku Ramen! I'm Ayame and I'll be taking care of you today. Are you all ready to order?" She greeted cheerfully. She was quick to Greet them and her smile had not changed, Naruto noted. It was genuine and warm.. Naruto loved it. He loved it so much so that he took a little too long of a time to order before he caught himself. "Oh, excuse me," He spoke quickly, scratching the back of his head. The action caught the attention of the girl before him. It seemed familiar, but she could not at all place it.

 _'If Ayame can't recognize me, then I MUST be safe, right?_ ' He wondered to himself. "Actually, you can start with my two friends here, that would be good," Naruto suggested, looking first to Sayuri. She looked at him oddly for a moment but did not question him.

"I'll have Shoyu Ramen, please." Sayuri requested, crossing one leg over the other.

"Shio for me, thanks." Hiroshi followed.

"Right. And 10 bowls of Miso ramen for me, please." Naruto finished, catching Ayame off guard. The only people who ordered that much were The Akimichi, The Hokage's wife and.. She shook her head slightly before smiling. "Oh! Of course! Please allow us a little time to complete your order. It won't be long at all!" She promised, rushing to the back to tell her father of the new orders.

"Geez.. Uzumaki are monsters when it comes to food." Hiroshi stated, laughing a little. He was used to his friends ferocious appetite, but he still couldn't understand it.

"Well, we do have a lot of energy." Naruto countered. And large chakra reserves. They had to eat to keep at full power just like the Akimichi. Or at least that's what Naruto liked to think. "Besides, we haven't eaten in almost a whole day. Who wouldn't be hungry?" Naruto questioned, laughing a little. Hishiro just shook his head.

"There is a difference between hungry and your appetite." The larger boy teased, making Naruto even grin more. He did have an appetite. And he loved it.

"Here we are!" Ayame returned after a few minutes, serving first Hishiro and Sayuri before placing Naruto's meals in front of , all in rows. "Please enjoy your meals!" She urged cheerfully. The group didn't need to be told twice. "Itadakimasu!" The three spoke in unison before digging in. Hiroshi and Sayuri started slowly, savoring their first taste of the ramen which proved to taste even better than it smelled, a marvelous feat on its own.

"This is quite Delicious, Miss Ayame. Possibly the best ramen I've ever consumed." Sayuri spoke after just her first bite. Naruto nodded his head in the affirmative, though he did not dare stop himself from eating. Miraculously, he was already on his second bowl. Nobody questioned it, and nobody was brave enough to watch the little monster- er, child, eat.

"It's kind of disappointing we don't have this quality ramen in the Mist.." Hiroshi added, cocking his head to the side. But maybe that would make him appreciate it more? He scowled for a moment. Like he cared about that stuff. He wanted this stuff back home.

"Thank you all! That's super nice of you all!" Ayame replied, her heart filling with pride. She was sure her father felt the same in the back, if he could hear the delightful children. Some people came in here and while nobody really disliked their food, nobody usually appreciated it this much. "So, what brings a bunch of nice kids like you to Konoha? Might you be here for the Chunin exams?" She wondered, leaning in over the counter.

"Hai, we are." Naruto answered, moving onto his next bowl of ramen. "Our first attempt at the exams. Or into the village, for that matter." That was a lie, and he felt bad for lying to someone who always respected, but it wouldn't bother him too much. If Ayame knew, she would certainly understand, and that thought comforted him.

"Oh! That's wonderful! Ya know I've lived in this village all my life and I've never seen one of the exams. Or shinobi in action for that matter. I suppose thats a good thing.." She paused for a second before blushing to herself. She was rambling on to new customers. That had to be bad manners. "Oh! The point is, I hope you all do well in your exams. You all seem very nice, but I bet you're strong too, right? Otherwise you wouldn't be here.. Still, you three better be safe! And maybe come back for seconds before you leave?" She suggested, laughing slightly.

Naruto paused from devouring his last bowl of Ramen and stared at the girl for a moment. He felt.. Happy, for a moment. He really missed the girl. He was sure she had changed from when he was a kid and would come by here randomly, but she still made him feel wanted. She was still a good person, and old man Teuchi still put his heart into every bowl of ramen.. He would definitely keep these people in his heart. He would definitely protect them.

He must have been staring for a little too long because now Sayuri was staring at him, watching him and the way he stared at Ayame. She wasn't jealous, Naruto knew, but she did this often when he expressed interest in anything or anyone. While he wasn't attracted to Ayame, his positive feelings were clear. He liked the girl. That meant.. She liked her as well. Sayuri nodded to herself once before placing her chopsticks over her bowl, signifying that she was finished her meal.

She was followed closely by Naruto and Hiroshi. "Thank you for the meal." They all spoke as one, Naruto offering a wide smile as he placed his Yen down onto the table, enough for all 12 bowls of ramen the team had consumed, tip included. "You'll definitely see us again! It's a promise of a lifetime!" Naruto said with a grin.

This time, it was Ayame's turn to stare. Promise of a lifetime... Huh? she had heard that before.. There was a kid that would say that all the time, actually. She loved that kid.. But.

"Ah! Now I've got some energy! Let's explore the village some more, yeah?" Naruto offered, spinning on his seat and hopping out of his chair. All the anxiety had disappeared from the boy while he ate and now he was back to his regular energetic self. He was a calm bundle of energy, as redundant as that sounded. "Hai." Sayuri agreed, standing slowly and assuming her position on Naruto's right side. Hiroshi didn't respond but he stood by Naruto none the less, waiting for the red head to lead the way.

Naruto paused for a bit, stretching and using his senses to decide on their next stop. He supposed he could look around and see if the general layout of the village was the same. He remembered most of the way, but the rest he would have to see to jog his memory. He could take a peek at the academy and the training grounds if he was allowed. Yeah, that was a good plan. His legs were already moving before he finalized the decision.

Naruto walked forward, his azure eyes scanning the streets carefully. Everything seemed so familiar, but he felt so out of place. It was the same, but different. The building and the people seemed.. Familiar, but the looks of scorn and hatred weren't there. They didn't even notice him. No, that wasn't right. They noticed him. A few people even met his gaze and smiled.. But they didn't KNOW him.. If they did.. It would be the same as always. He would be nobody to them again. He would be a nuisance. He would be trash. He would be scum. He would be the dem-

" **Turn right.** " The Kyubi said sharply. It caught Naruto off guard for a moment, having been so lost in thought, but he obeyed none the less. Something had caught the nine tails attention, so he would want to see it as well.

Turning right brought the trio down a familiar alleyway. And it wasn't empty like one would expect. In fact, there were a few people here.

"Damn brat! Why don't you watch where you're going?" A boy spoke, glaring at another, smaller child. The larger boy was dressed in a black jumpsuit and his face was painted, but Naruto couldn't tell what the art was supposed to be. Next to him was someone who vaguely shared some of his features. Though she was undoubtedly more attractive. She was just a little taller than the boy and sported a fan on her back almost the size of Zabuza's Kubikiribōchō [6]. And they both had headbands showing the symbol of Sunagakure..

The larger boy wasn't talking to the girl, Naruto noted. No, he was talking to a little boy who didn't even look like he could be in the academy yet. "Hey! Don't talk to me like that!" The boy demanded, standing up from where he had been sitting on the ground. How he had gotten to the ground wasn't clear, but it was clear it was obvious the Suna Genin had something to do with it. "I'm the honorable grandson, you know! The grandson of THE third hokage," He boasted.

That caught Naruto's attention. That was interesting, but was that why the Kyubi had brought him this way...? It didn't seem right.

"Tch, the dead hokage, you mean?" The larger boy smirked before reaching a hand our and picking the smaller boy up by his shirt. "You should be more humble brat! Your name doesn't mean as much as you think it does!"

"Leave him alone, baka!" A small voice piped out, attracting the attention of everyone there. It was then Naruto noticed that the little boy wasn't alone. For whatever good that would do. There was a small red headed girl there with him, and she seemed to be close to her friend in age. The little brats could barely reach the waist of their opponent.

"Oh piss off, brat, or you're next!" The boy all but shouted, getting irritated. The nerve of the brats to talk to him like they were equal to them. They would learn their lesson the hard way.

The girl next to the bully just sighed. "Idiot Kankuro. Stop causing trouble in a foreign village. You know we have to be careful here," She pointed out. "And you aren't manly at all picking on two little kids. It's not worth it either."

This caused a vein of anger to pop out of the larger boys head. First the two brats and now his own sister. What the hell was with everyone today. "Oh be quiet Temari-nee! This will be quick. I'll teach these two nobodies a lesson in manners real quicka and then we can be on our way!" He exclaimed, focusing on the boy who he was now holding a solid two feet off the ground. Not much considering the boy was so small he looked like he could be used to play catch by trained shinobi.

"I'm not a nobody! I'm Konohamuru Sarutobi, BAKA!"

"And I'm Natsuki Uzumaki! Daughter of The fourth Hokage and Kushina Uzumaki!" The girl threatened. Now THAT caught some attention. The Genin identified as Kankuro quickly dropped the brat in his hand and took a step back from him, a bit shocked. His female companion was filled with first shock, then anger. "Oh fan-TASTIC idiot. You picked the two kids in this damn village who you absolutely shouldn't get involved with." She began, fully prepared to berate her brother to death.

"O-Oh be quiet! Who cares. I didn't touch the girl. I can still hit the boy once or twice to make it even for him bumping into me.

While the two argued, Naruto was shocked. Had he heard that right? The daughter of the Fourth and Kushina... In other words.. The daughter of his biological parents? Oh, he knew of his heritage. He found out years ago from the Kyubi. And he had accepted that. But he did NOT know he had a sister now. ' _A sister.. I.. Replaced?_ ' Naruto thought desperately. He sounded pathetic to himself, but it passed quickly.

 _It will be okay._

He had a sister. That was amazing news, wasn't it? Sure, they had never met and they had nothing in common, but she was his sister. The thought made him smile, though only on the inside. And more importantly.. He had to intervene now before things got out of hand. The two in front of him were clearly a little hotheaded and he didn't know what they would do. But what was worse was their teammate who was actually hiding in the trees. He guessed they were teammates anyway. Why else would he be hiding so close by and just observing? And the guys chakra signature was familiar..

So was his sisters, but.. They were family. It was to be expected, right?

"Oi, are you gonna do something about your little pets bothering these kids, or should I?" Naruto grunted, staring at the tree and catching everyone off guard. His team had not expected him to say anything after waiting this long, and they were not as keen with sensing people as Naruto was so they weren't entirely sure who he could be talking to.

The kids being tormented had not known that someone was there other than the bullies in front of them. Their heads snapped backwards to see who had joined them. Nobody familiar, for certain. But they were allies, right? They hoped so.

The sand Genin were the most surprised. They had been so pre-occupied they hadn't noticed the new arrivals. And it didn't take long for them to put together who the other Genin could be talking to; That brought along the next point. When had _Gaara_ gotten there and how mad was he right now?

The boy in question materialized behind his two teammates in a swirl of sand and he did not seem too happy.

"G-Gaara! I was just - "

"Shut up before I kill you." The monotone voice of the redhead cut him off. The short answer surprised most everyone in the alley but it did it's job and silenced Kankuro. "You are a disgrace to the village and were you not my brother..." Gaara left the sentence to hang in the air. Kankuro didn't need Gaara to finish to understand the message.

"You.." Gaara continued, looking at Naruto. "What's your name?" The smaller redhead asked, glaring slightly.

Naruto met the boys eyes for a fraction of a second before his world went dizzy.

" _What?_ " Naruto thought, confused. He wasn't in the alley anymore, and everyone else was gone. Now he was in a sewer looking place. Oh, that's right. This was.. He turned around to look at the large bars in that had been behind him. This was the seal. The Kyubi had brought him here. The realization made Naruto narrow his eyes carefully. Kyubi never brought him to the seal unless it was important.. What was going on.

" **Gaki..** " The Kyubi started, approaching the bars, his full menacing form appearing from out of the shadows. All was quiet for a moment as the red searching eyes of the Kyubi met Naruto's piercing blue ones.

" **Listen carefully. That boy before you is like you, a Jinchuriki. He holds my brother, the one tailed demon**." The Kyubi admitted, surprising Naruto. He didn't doubt the Kyubi. The Kyubi always spoke the truth, whether he liked it or not. Normally the truth wasn't so straight forward, but he was not going to complain.

"That so? Then - "

" **I am not finished, Gaki**." The Kyubi growled rudely. Naruto glared at the large beast, unitimidated. He did not speak again though. He wanted to hear what the Kyubi had to say, of course.

" **The small brat, The other Uzumaki.. She holds my other half.."**

What the hell was going on here? Naruto had never met another Jinchuriki, much less two in the same place at the same time. And for his SISTER to hold the missing half of the Kyubi. He shouldn't have been surprised, but he was. Uzumaki were the ones who could best contian the Kyubi. But his sister..

" **Now. Neither she nor the boy can sense my presence. Shukaku, my brother, was never very observant. And the girls seal is more.. In tact, than yours. It seems she has never made contact with my other half. Now. if my brother is anything like he used to be, he is driving his host mad day by day. Turning him into a mindless killing machine. That is how Shukaku has always hoped to gain his freedom from human restraints. He will challenge anyone who seems strong and make it a goal to eliminate them. That is what the brat before you is working on now. He is gathering info about his target.. You will give it to him. However, you will NOT be the prey. My container will never be the prey to one of my younger brother, especially not that rodent."** The Kyubi growled, placing his head against the bars of his cage to make his point clear.

Naruto just continued to glare at the beast, but moved forward none the less. The Kyubi would not strike him. They were not friends. Naruto especially hated when the demon tried to intimidate him. Naruto did nothing but try to be nice to the demon and this was how he was repayed. What a pain.

"Well then, explain." Naruto allowed, crossing his arms over his chest. This was a lot of information to take in, but he had to adapt.

" **The Shukaku specializes in defense. You specialize in offense. You will assert your dominance in a single move, Gaki. Break his defense before he can retaliate. Make it look effortless. And most importantly.. Don't harm him. Do not mistake this task for something trivial. This will be an important move down the line. Make him remember. You could have killed him. You spared him. Make him fear you.** " The Kyubi instructed.

Naruto was quiet for a moment. The Kyubi knew his power. The Kyubi was the only one who knew the full extent of his power and while he was a little concerned about pissing off another jinchuriki, he knew he could do it. The Kyubi wouldn't ask it from him if it was beyond his reach. And he didn't want to make an enemy of the other jinchuriki, but it would seem he didn't have a choice either way now.

So, intimidate his opponent? That was easy. He had to break his guard, and the Kyubi had explained how without uttering a single word on how. That's how the Kyubi was.. He expected you to figure it out. Fortunately Naruto had gotten good at that.

"Understood," Naruto stated, grinning slightly as his world returned to normal. Not even a second had passed. His grin spread from the world in his seal to the real one as he stared into the eyes of his fellow jinchuriki. Intimidate him? That was Naruto's specialty. Killer Intent..

"I need to know your name.. You seem strong, and I wanna know who it is I'm going to kill." Gaara droned cryptically.

Before anyone could protest or argue, Naruto was gone, only to reappear right in fron of Gaara, standing so close to the boy that he could smell him. This shocked the teammates of Naruto, who were not accustomed to seeing Naruto make the first move. Especially with such little provocation. It certainly wasn't the first time someone threatened the boys life.

They were not nearly as shocked as the sand siblings though.. Nobody.. Nobody ever got that close to Gaara.

And Gaara was worst of all. Why? How had the boy gotten so close? Why wasn't his sand responding to the attack on his personal space? Anyone who got close to him was normally crushed into a bloody pulp by now by the sand in his gourd and the debris in the air. Even the sand around Gaaras feet failed to reach into the air. "Me?" Naruto questioned, cocking his head to the side, staring daringly into the Jinchurikis eyes.

"If you're number one.. Call me number Nine.." Naruto hinted with a growl, raising a hand slowly. Then it began. Killer Intent began leaking from Naruto's body. Killer intent that doubled anything Gaara could produce. And what scared the sand siblings was the sheer force and control over it. It was stronger than Gaara's. It was stronger than his.. And it was controlled! Gaara could never control his killer intent. It just leaked and leaked out of him like waves of an ocean and everyone around would drown in it. This guy though?

They were the only one who could feel it. Even the two kids just a foot or two away from them were unaffected. But it was just as strong. It was like a maelstrom of malevolent aura was going to consume them. And the opposing redhead controlled it as easily as he controlled his own breathing.

Gaara felt like a million needles were being stabbed into him from head to toe. He could hardly think. "And if you're the enemy.." Naruto continued, raising a hand that slowly crept towards Gaara before finally landing on his shoulder. "I'll be your executioner," Naruto finished, a wry smile creeping across his features.

Gaara was shaken down to his very core. This Genin.. This boy was .. Touching him. Many had tried, failed and died trying to do the very same; He was being touched. And as he looked down to his feet, he noticed that he was shaking. He, The Gaara, was shaking in fear. He was so used to hunting prey, but now.. He was the one being hunted. How? Even the Shukakus sand was shaking. Trembling. Struggling to even move an inch. Shukaku, deep down inside of his body, was scared? His sand was being held down by the sheer amount of Killer intent, along with the hesitation of the Shukaku to retaliate.

"But hey, you can call me N!" Naruto exclaimed, removing his hand from Gaara and disappearing once more to rejoin his team, standing just as he had been before he approached the jinchuriki, looking almost as if he had not moved an inch. The Killer intent had disappeared now and the haunting smile Naruto wore previously was replaced by a cheerful, warm one. It didn't comfort the sand sibling at all though.

"And your name was Gaara, right?' Naruto questioned, already knowing the answer. That was good, because it appeared like the three Sand Genin would not be speaking anytime soon.

"I look forward to seeing you in the exams." Naruto concluded, turning to leave the alley. His team wasn't sure what happened, but even Hishiro did not even consider staying behind a second afer Naruto. They could tell that this was serious. For En to act like this.. Something was going on.

"Oh, yeah! Natsuki, Konohamuru. You should get going now, okay?" He suggested, sparing them one last glance over his shoulder before smiling and walking away with his team.

' _Kyubi was right.'_ Naruto decided. ' _This will be exciting.'_

 _A/N:_

[1] Sunagakure - Land of Wind

[2]Kumogakure - Land of Lightning

[3]Konohagakure- Land of fire

[4]Kirigakure- Land of Water

[5]Iwagakure- Land of Earth

[6]Kubikiribōchō - Decapitating carving knife

As we can see, Naruto is capale of being the goofball we all know and love. And with the flick of a switch he can become cold and intimidating. We'll also soon see how he gained these skills along with his relationship with the Kyubi soon. I hope you'll hang on with me until then.

I know there might be a lot of questions. Feel free to ask in the comments and I may answer in the beginning author notes in the next chapter, but no promises.


	4. Family

**A/N:**

Hello everyone! So here we begin the next chapter of my story, but I thought I'd take the time to address some questions first.

Mystolon asked about the differences in Naruto's hair color through the different chapters. I'll clear this up first. In this story, Naruto was born with a full head of red hair the same as his mother. He is pictured at this point with mostly blond hair with the exception of his red bangs. Naruto has undergone a lot of physical changes, some of which intentional. After all, anyone knowing who he was before arriving to the Mist village would be looking for a red-head, not a blond. We will get to what method Naruto uses to change his hair shortly. It's also worth mentioning that Naruto left the Leaf with whiskers, but they are hidden at this point. Thank you for your time and input. :)

RadioPoisoning asked about Naruto and his feelings towards his sister. A good question. While I'll touch more on that in this chapter, I'll start with this; While he has never had a relationship with his family, much less his sister, don't you think he would've wanted to? Knowing that his parents were out there and not sparing him another thought, Naruto still always atleast held a sliver of hope in the back of his mind that just maybe one day he could be with his family. At the very least I think he would hope that they cared about him, as their son.

For more information about what he thinks of his younger sister, you'll have to read this chapter. Thank you for your input. :)

thor94 asked how Natsuki could have a portion of the Kyubi inside of her. Half of the Kyubi was stored inside Naruto, and the other half was stored inside the Sealing Urn mentioned in Chapter 1, by Hiruzen. It was stated that the Urn would not last long, but it would give them time to come up with something new. When Natsuki was conceived, there was a new option. Transferring the portion of the Kyubi sealed into the urn into her.

You should get the rest of the answers you need from with this or the next chapter. Thank you for your input :)

That's it for the Q/A portion of this chapter. Thank you everyone for the reviews and views. It is greatly appreciated and I hope I can return the favor by making a story we can all enjoy together. Let's get on to the next chapter then, shall we?

 **CHAPTER THREE**

It had been quiet. There were a lot of questions hanging in the air for Naruto's team but nobody was sure how to address the situation. Hiroshi didn't know where to begin. The confrontation between Naruto and the sand genin was totally out of character. And he wasn't sure what reason there could have been to it. Naruto, to his knowledge, had never had any problems with the team before and even though he knew Naruto enjoyed a good fight, he did not go about picking them. Especially not so .. Openly.

Sayuri was thinking along the same lines. It concerned her even more because while the entire team was close, she considered herself to be the closest person to Naruto. If she couldn't understand Naruto, she could not hope to serve him efficiently. And asking.. Asking sounded sickening to her. If En took it as insulting to be questioned, she would not be able to forgive herself. Not to mention her pride would be wounded for sure. Still.. She was dying to know..

Naruto could feel the tension in the air. He and his team, minus Zabuza, were inside their hotel room now (their humble abode while they stayed in Konoha). They were all just sitting in different sections of the room, but Naruto could almost hear the internal battle his teammates were having with themselves, and it didn't take a genius to figure out what they were thinking. He was going to answer them, he had just been using the time to gather himself and plan out his answers. He couldn't tell them everything, but.. He had to make the important things clear.

He had given himself plenty enough time now and sighed before opening his mouth to speak.

"Tha-" He was cut off before the word could even finish leaving his mouth.

"En-Sama!" Sayuri spoke quickly, not wanting to be beat to the punch. She would put her pride aside and ask directly. That was how she always aspired to be anyway. And En would appreciate that, right?

"I am sorry. I must ask for the well being of our team. We should all be on the same page." She began, staring directly at Naruto. Her voice was firm, even though everyone in the room knew that if Naruto decided not to answer, she would back down without any objection. Naruto just looked at her teasingly, one brow cocked high above the other. It was clear that he wasn't going to stop her or make it easy for her.

"The confrontation between you and those three from earlier has weighed heavily on our minds. As you are aware, none of us were prepared for your actions, as they seemed unwarranted. You took an aggressive and rather intense approach to the other team, which almost seemed personal. I feel that if we are going to enter this exam, any information you may be holding back, or any ill-feelings you hold for the enemy should be shared with us. If for no other reason, this will help Hiroshi and myself understand and make an informed decision about them later, should the need arise." She spoke evenly, but she always sounded elegant. Much different from her other two teammates.

Hiroshi just nodded in agreement, somewhat relieved he wasn't going to have to ask about it. Though he would have been more to the point than Sayuri was..

Naruto smirked at the girl, though he did not respond right away, pretending to think it over.

"Well said," Naruto responded cheerfully, halting only to take a deep breath.

"Well.. I do not hold any bad feeling for them, I promise you. It's just.. They are going to be a problem in the exams. Well, the Gaara kid will be, anyway. I'm sure the other two are strong too, but they probably won't pose a threat to our team by themselves. The Gaara kid though.. Listen, you aren't to fight with him." He stated, pausing for a moment. His team was strong, but they were not ready to fight a Jinchuriki, especially one as unstable as Gaara.

The other two were confused but he didn't give them time to question him.

"He is dangerous in a way that none of the other Genin here are. I know it for a fact. He will fight to kill, and he'll even kill just for fun. Or.. to prove himself. That's why he asked my name, he even admitted, but he'll kill anyone who stand in front of him." Naruto's tone calm but solid. He was obviously very serious, even if his demeanor said otherwise. "He can and will kill you. He'll try to do the same to me. I can't tell you why. And most of importantly.. I will save him," Naruto finalized, the last of his words slipping past his lips in almost a whisper.

Sayuri's eyes widened at that statement, forcing her to her feet.

"What?" She questioned sharply. She could understand the summary of the redheads attitude. And the boys willingness to kill was not lost on her so it sounded especially crazy for her team leader to talk about wanting to save such a person. Even Hiroshi looked at Naruto as if he had grown a second head.

"Excuse me, En, but just what the hell are you saying? First, protect him from what? And second, why? If he's anything like you described, he is an enemy. He should killed. Even I know that. What's going on in that head of yours?" Hiroshi asked.

Naruto just laughed in response. This wasn't unexpected. Their reactions were.. Well, they were appropriate. He knew how crazy he must have sounded.

"I don't know what I'll have to protect him from, exactly. Maybe the world. The village. Himself. Me? I know what this sounds like guys. But.. I ask that you listen to me, not as your team leader, but as your friend. Protecting him is important and personal to me. I don't know what or when, but my instinct says that he will need my help. Actually, ever since I stepped into the village I've felt off. It's like there's something in the air. There are tough times ahead." Naruto admitted, sharing looks between Hiroshi and Sayuri who had relaxed a little bit.

"It's not just being in a foreign village. It's big though.. Again, it's just my instinct. But we have always followed my instinct and we have never been wrong. I would never put you all into unnecessary danger or steer you wrong. I care for you both and would give my life to ensure your safety, so.. Please trust me on this," he pleaded. Pleading maybe wasn't the right word. Their trust was vitally important to him, but he was confident that he would have it.

There was only a short pause, his team processing the information given to them and coming to terms with it. It, of course, sounded ridiculous, but he had a point. They had been on many missions together. They had fought together. They had trained together. In all those cases, his instinct had never been wrong. It was uncanny, sure, but it had saved their young lives before..

"Understood." Sayuri spoke first. The agreement was accompanied with a sigh. She would always follow En, no matter how crazy he sounded.

"Yeah, okay.. Just don't get me killed." Hiroshi said, defeated. He didn't like the way any of it sounded, but he didn't have much choice. And he would not abandon his team.

"Of course not. What kind of team leader would I be then?" Naruto teased, stretching his arms out wide behind him.

"A pretty shitty one, if you ask me." Another voice spoke at the same time as the door to the hotel room opened. Nobody was surprised to see their Jounin Sensei Zabuza standing there, though Naruto couldn't help but frown. He was the least surprised to see his Sensei. He knew he was coming, but.. He also knew what was next.

"And another thing: You always seem to have a lot of secrets for some brat who showed up out of nowhere. You always seem to just know things to be true. Why is that?" Zabuza questioned, moving to stand in the middle of the room.

"So nice of you to join us, Zabuza-sensei," Naruto responded dryly, ignoring the question completely. He couldn't say he and Zabuza never got along. The man had taught him a lot, and there was no better person for him to train with. Also, in combat, they thought somewhat similarly. Still.. The man had always been suspicious of him. It made sense sure, but it still made Naruto want to hit the man. Why couldn't he leave well enough alone.

"So, we've still got a few hours before it's dark. I'm gonna go out and for a bit." Naruto announced, heading towards the door. Sayuri shot to her feet immediately, rushing over to his side. "I will accompany Naruto-Sama." She stated, following him out of the door. Zabuza just smirked to himself under his cloth bandage. He and Hiroshi would stay.

Naruto kept quiet as he walked through the streets of his original home village. Sayuri stayed quiet behind him. Ordinarily this would be considered a strange thing, but the two had grown use to it. As laid back as Naruto was, sometimes he just needed some time to himself. To process his thoughts and get some air. Sayuri didn't interfere because it would be rude. And because she rather enjoyed watching him when he was focused. It was like he was a completely different person than usual. Even following a few steps behind him, she could feel his intensity..

The streets were still crowded. People passed on either side of Naruto and Sayuri, but none of them payed the two any mind. It was.. Unsettling, for Naruto.

 _'They don't recognize me...' They hate me and don't even know it._ He mused in his head. He passed people who seemed vaguely familiar. Shops that he could remember refusing his existence. Not allowing him to enter. Hell, some of them wouldn't even let him look through the windows if they could it. ' _I'm the demon but they would leave a child to die out in the street. Some would say they feared me, but that's not true, is it? No. They berated me. Shouted at me. They.._ '

" **Tried to kill you."** The Kyubi finished, a dark grin being worn proudly on its face. " **Everyday, the weaklings would take out their frustrations and anger on watching you suffer. Remember? The sneers. The taunts. The jokes. Pointing. What's worse, I wonder, brat. The ones who made it clear that you were unwanted, or the ones who pretended you already were?** " The Kyubi's voice was loud and clear in his head, and Naruto didn't bother trying to ignore him. He wouldn't be able to. He didn't want to. The Kyubi was right, after all..

" **Watching you starve. Watching you cry. Watching you beg. And never uttering a word. Never batting an eye. Just being grateful, deep down. That it's you. That it's real. You are smart aren't you gaki? Fear? No, they didn't fear you. That might make their actions seem logical. No. They hated you. They still do. You know it, don't you? If they knew who you were, things would go back to normal. They would give you those looks again. Is it because you house me inside the seal? Hah. No, have a sister now. A sister who is acknowledged by her family and probably the entire village. She houses the same curse as you but it praised while you are sunned and hated.. And you hate them too, don't you?"**

Naruto remained quiet, his jaws clenching in anger. He wasn't sure who he was angry at. The Kyubi? He was, but the demon spoke the truth. There was no way around it.. Life was cruel. His sister? It wasn't her fault that the village treated him like a parasite and her like a living human being. He was envious, he realized. But he did not blame her.. He didn't want her to suffer like him. He was glad she was happy, but deep down he was angry. The most logical choice was he was angry at the village itself.

He always had somewhat hoped that he was treated poorly because of the irrational fear of the Kyubi. But now he could not even hold on to that hope. Was it possible that the village just hated him?

And then.. there were his parents. Or would-be parents. They abandoned him before he was even old enough to have memories. But they must have been there for his sister... Again, he was envious, but grateful. ' _I always wanted a sister._ ' He thought. Especially when he was a kid. But he never actually considered.. Well sometimes even the unlucky could get what they wished for.

" **Don't fool yourself, Gaki. I know your hatred even better than you do... And your hatred is great. No matter how much you try to put it aside. Soon.. You will have to face it. You pretend to be the good one. The child who wants peace, but deep down, you want to destroy this wretched village."** The Kyubi laughed, which came out almost as a roar. Naruto hated when he was like this. The Kyubi fed off his anger and hatred, so he wasn't entirely wrong, especially if the demon was this riled up.

But.. Naruto clenched his jaw and tightened his fists as he passed the people of Konoha.

Sayuri frowned slightly behind Naruto. Something wasn't right with him. She could tell right away. Whatever was going on inside En's head, it was serious. His whole mood was changing. He was unlike himself. He was.. Genuinely angry. There were rare times when En was angry. In those times you hoped that he either calmed down, or you cleared the area. She was prepared to approach him but stopped when she saw him take a long, deep breath.

 _It will be okay._

' _You're wrong, Kyubi. I know I.. I want them to regret what they did. I want them to understand how wrong they were, but.. There's no point in destroying them. They are people. They are alive, with free will. I may not agree with them, or like them.. But I'd rather have them live to prove them wrong. To teach them that all lives are precious.._ ' Naruto responded, his thoughts seeming like just a whisper to the demon.

" **Hah! All life is precious? You say that, as you live the life as a shinobi. You've already taken many 'precious lives.' Gaki. Either way, we shall soon see your resolve to that.. Just don't screw up. I want to see how you grow. It will be fun. Use what I've taught you. Our training.. If you die, I'll die with you, and I'll torment your soul for years in the afterlife. Only.. I'll come back into the world, and you will not."**

' _If I have to choose between the life of my friends and that of the enemy, I will make the choice. It's that simple.. '_

Naruto sighed again before scratching his head.

He stopped in his tracks for a moment, cocking his head to the side. He sensed a chakra signature nearby. It was his sister. He briefly contemplated whether he should go to see her again but it didn't take more than a few seconds before the decision was made. He did always want a sister. At least he could use this chance to get some information. The thought brought a grin to his face.

"Sayuri, hang back a little more, kay?" He teased before leaping into air. With all the crowded streets, traveling like a shinobi would be quicker. In fact..

It only took him a few seconds to land again, gaining the attention of his very own sister. Her head snapped to look at him, being caught of guard by his presence. She didn't seem too bothered by him being there. Naruto wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not. A shinobi being approached by a foreign power should immediately be on guard. Then again, she was too young to be a shinobi. And she was clearly comfortable in her own village. She felt safe. A luxury he never had.

Then again, it wasn't like she was alone.. There were three unfamiliar chakra signatures nearby, formed in a tight triangle around hers. He was sure it was ANBU. They wouldn't be close enough to hear a talk between him and his sister though.. Maybe she had revealed what had happened earlier to someone and they decided with all the foreign elements, she would need some protection. Just in case. She should have had it sooner, but better late than never he supposed.

Naruto opened his mouth to speak, but didn't get the chance. Her eyes lit up and she smiled at him right away.

"You! You're the guy from earlier that stopped those three bullies from earlier!" She announced, pumping her fists in excitement.

"That was amazing! You're pretty fast, y'know? The way you just showed up like that in front of that other red haired guy! I couldn't even see you! And I asked Konohamuru! He couldn't see you either! Oh yeah, Arigatou for saving me! That was nice, and Kaa-san says that whenever someone does you a favor, you should thank them! Oh, she also said to always introduce yourself! I'm Natsuki Uzumaki. But I bet you know that, huh? Ne, what's your name!?" Her words came out rushed, but they were understandable. It appeared she was just a regular bundle of energy.

It was nice, Naruto thought. She was, just like their physical appearance. Vibrant.

"HM.." Naruto stopped there. He wasn't sure what came over him. He was so used to lying, and he was so good at it, but he didn't want to here. "I'm Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki, as a matter of fact." He stated with a small smile. "And you're welcome." He added, crouching down on his heels to get a little closer to her.

He stared into her eyes for a second, examining her closely. Last time they were close, he hadn't had the time. He had come and gone. But now.. They looked similar. Well, they would have, if he hadn't been hiding his real appearance. Only she didn't have the whiskers he did, and her hair was entirely red.

"UZUMAKI!?" Natsuki exclaimed, jumping up and down a few times. "Kaa-san and I are Uzumaki! That means, you're family! Naruto-Niisan!"

The words stopped Naruto's brains in his tracks. It was hilarious. She had no idea how.. Appropriate, the title was. He wished he could tell her.

He took a long deep breath before laughing a little and patting the girl on her head. "Hai. I guess you could say that. Maybe that's why I showed up when those bullies were giving you a hard time." Naruto joked, smiling at the girl. His whole body and heart felt warm at their conversation. He wouldn't admit it - not that he had anyone to admit it too - but this is what someone would call a dream come true.

It wasn't like he would be able to settle down and live the family life.. But he DID have a real peace of family now. And if the look in his eyes was any indication.. She actually cared for him. Just like that. Was it that simple? Well, he wouldn't question it.

"Well.. You know, there aren't many Uzumaki left, Nee-san." The words felt right coming off of his tongue. "Family has to stick together, no matter what, ya know? So.. Anytime you need help, you call me, Ne?" Naruto offered, rubbing her hair playfully.

"Ha! Nii-san! I will, but Tou-san and Kaa-san are super strong, ya know? I could call them." She responded, reaching up to stroke his hair, just like he was doing to her. The action coupled with the words made Naruto pout. The childish action made his little sister laugh out loud.

"Oi, I'm strong too ya know. I'm an Uzumaki after all," He joked, pulling his hand away from her, smiling again. "You'll see. I'm here for the Chunin exams. You'll be hearing my name a lot there. Maybe you'll even see me fight!" She was the daughter of the hokage. She would be there, he was certain. "And Tou-san and Kaa-san.. I mean, your Tou-san and Kaa-san, they are as busy as they are strong. Maybe they won't always be around. But I wanna be, ya know?" He whispered.

Natsuki smiled at him, brighter than he had seen before.

"Ah, you're right, heh. Maybe you can teach me a cool mist jutsu!" She joked, pointing to his headband. That made him smile. And it gave him an idea.

"Hmm.. You know, I will. But under one condition," He started, gaining her complete attention, had he not already had it. She was joking at first, but the prospect of actually being taught a jutsu from a foreign village. That was totally cool! "You can't tell anyone my real name, okay?"

The excitement dropped from the girls face, only to be replaced by confusion. She couldn't tell all her friends about her new cool brother? Where was the fun in that? And more importantly, why?

"Eeeeh? Why not!? That's no fair!" She pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "What's the point of having a Nii-san if nobody can know about him?" She questioned.

Naruto just laughed before scratching the back of his head. She was so darn cute, it was almost hard to talk to her.

"Well.. You can tell your friends ABOUT me, just leave my real first name out of it. Okay? It's really important. Call me N." He insisted, offering up his best smile. "I know. I can tell that you're gonna be a awesome shinobi just like your parents. Consider this your first shinobi training mission. You have to keep the secret. From everyone." He stated, nodding his head to himself.

Natsuki was quiet for a moment before she perked up again, a grin threatening to split her face right in half. "I'll do it!" She almost shouted, her playfulness and excitement returning to her in full force.

"Promise?" Naruto asked, leaning in close to the girl.

"Promise!" She stated, holding out her hand, pinky extended. So much like a child. Naruto just smiled before reaching his own hand out and locking his pinky with hers. "It's a promise.. I'm trusting you, Nee-san."

"I won't let you down!"

Naruto smiled. He knew.. She wouldn't tell. The trust was mutual.

"I know you won't.. Ne, I'm glad to have met you, Nee-san. I've gotta get going now, though." He stated, taking a deep breath.

She didn't drop her smile for even a second before nodding her head. Nothing could ruin her good mood. "Okay! I'll just have to see you in the exams!" She cheered.

"You will." And then he was gone. He was smiling yo himself, but the smile was almost as wide as his sisters.

He was soon joined by his other female companion. Sayuri was right by his side, giving him a hard stare. "You seem happy, En-Sama." She spoke slowly.

"Hai. There have been some.. Positive development."

Sayuri wondered what positive development there could have been with the daughter of the Hokage all of a sudden, but she was sure she would find that out soon enough. They had bigger things to focus on. Like -

 **A/N:**

Hey everyone. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Now I know, you started reading Chunin exams and hoped we'd get back to some action. Worry not, friends! We will be getting to that in the next chapter.

For now, tell me what you think?

I know some of you were hoping that Naruto wouldn't be too friendly with his sister, but sorry. My Naruto will be. I hope everyone can accept that.

Here we get to see some of Naruto's personality and deeper feelings. Along with his relationship with the Kyubi. Still, there is a lot more to see, and I can't wait to show you.


	5. The Calm

**N/A:**

 **CHAPTER FOUR**

The Chunin Exams... So, this was it, huh? Sayuri was unimpressed thus far, but then again they hadn't really started. Everyone was just gathering around, preparing. Their team was crowded around the examination building. The first test would be here, but there was still some time left, so they were using it to scope out the other Genin. Seeing Genin from 4 of the 5 great villages was quite the rare occurrence.

Her eyes were moving every which way. There was no way that she would be able to size up everyone, so she would find the ones who might actually pose a direct thrat to their team. She didn't see the sand team anywhere nearby, but she did recognize some familiar faces. Some she had seen upon arriving to Konoha, but there was one team from the hidden cloud that they had encountered before.

Their run in had not been pleasant. Conflicting missions. They had fought and it had been, as En-sama would say, fun. It was a brief conflict, but it made Sayuri worry. She knew one of the team members held hard feelings, despite them getting to claim the mission for their own. Their village was larger, after all. They didn't want to make enemies while still trying to rebuild from their own civil war.

"En-sa.. En-kun.." Sayuri whispered, turning her attention to the boy.

"Hmm?" Naruto replied, not even bothering to look at her. In fact, his eyes weren't even open. She knew he was deep in thought. He did have a strong sensor ability, so she figured that he was sizing up the enemy just as she was. Though he probably had a easier time with it.

"The Kumo team we faced on that C-rank mission is here." She stated, turning her attention to Hiroshi. He hadn't noticed them yet, but upon the announcement he scowled. He held a little grudge against the team. Not because of the fight, but for being cheated out of a mission. It hadn't ruined their perfect mission record, but he still felt cheated. Just because they had a larger, more stable village.

"Hai." Naruto responded quietly, smiling to himself. There was a lot of energy in the room and he enjoyed it. Mostly because this was an exciting time. And he was looking forward to getting some more training in. Not fighting, but he did consider this a good chance to train.

"I noticed. They noticed us too. They don't seem to bothered.. Except the big one who did all that yelling. He actually seems to hate us now. He wants to fight," Sayuri gave Naruto a deadpan look. "You mean he hates you, En-kun." She corrected. The words made Naruto chuckle a bit. Yeah. He hadn't done anything to the guy. But he supposed that was the problem. They had fought and Naruto hadn't really payed the guy much attention. He didn't seem threatened. It was insulting to the pride. But was that really a big deal?

"Well, it's all the same. No need to waste time on them." Naruto spoke, grinning and reaching out to Sayuri. He placed his hand on her head before turning her to face the same way as him. He opened his eyes to the floor down below. There were two genin about to fight. He wasn't in the least bit surprised, Sayuri noticed. Well, it made sense. A lot of energetic, prideful and egotistical Genin who were all the 'best in their class.' This place was a powder keg just waiting to go off. Was this what En was waiting for?

"The last Uchiha loyal to the leaf and.. No. You tell me, Sayuri-chan." Naruto demanded, turning his attention to her. She gave him a perplexed look. How would she know some random Konoha genin? She just stared at him for a moment before sighing. She had to have some idea of who he was, otherwise En wouldn't be asking.

She turned her attention back to the Genin, giving him a hard stare. The Genin wore nothing but a green spandex suit and his headband around his waist. He had large eyebrows, even from here. And his bowl cut hair was.. She swallowed. Horrid.

The appealing sight brought back a memory. One from the bingo book! "Ah. I understand." She spoke, looking to Hiroshi. "I do not have a name, but he is the student of Konoha's Maito Gai. Gai is considered one of Konoha's foremost taijutsu specialist. Using taijutsu _exclusively_. He is incapable of using ninjutsu or taijutsu. He is an A rank Jounin. Konoha's second strongest public force Jounin." She stated, remembering his entry almost perfectly from the bingo book.

Hiroshi gave her a confused look. A shinobi that could only use taijutsu? That was crazy, he thought. But she did say that he was a Jounin and Konoha's second strongest, at that. He believed her. She and Naruto wanted to enter the Hunter-Nin division so Naruto had decided to learn the Bingo book from front to back, keeping up on new entries with every updated addition. It went without saying that Sayuri had followed his lead.

"I can't believe that works in the shinobi world," Hiroshi muttered. He was decent in taijutsu, but he couldn't imagine being limited to ONLY taijutsu. "Can't someone just.. Trap him in genjutsu and finish him off?" He wondered allowed.

Naruto interjected then. "If it were that easy, he wouldn't be alive. And going by that guys near perfect imitation of his sensei, then I'm guessing he is very much alive and well." Naruto leaned forward against a railing. "They are entirely dedicated to their craft, training body and mind to be strong. I wonder what it would be like to fight with them.. Well, I guess I'll just have to watch for now... It's starting, so don't blink or you'll miss it." Naruto stated with certainty.

Sayuri wouldn't make the mistake of disobeying him. En seemed to be happy with them, the sensei and the student before them.. She would pay very close attention to them, certainly.

The two below seemed to be talking quite a lot. She learned that The Uchiha was known as Sasuke and the Green clad shinobi was Lee. There were two nearby spectators who stood in the Uchiha's corner but she didn't know their names. They were the Uchiha's teammates, she supposed. The green dressed Genin was alone, but his posture spoke volumes of his confidence. One hand behind his back and one hand at the ready, he was totally prepared when the Uchiha rushed in.

The Uchiha was moving at a decent pace, but the opposing Genin moved so fast it made it look like the Uchiha was going in slow motion. "Leaf Hurricane!" could be heard from Lee, promptly followed by a spinning kick that slipped right past Sasuke's guard and connected with his face, sending him sprawling to the ground before he even realized what hit him.

"Sasuke!" The girl of his team shouted, holding her hands up in the defensive. She looked pathetic to Sayuri. A once over of the girl told her that she had little to no shinobi training. Or maybe she had it, but had not taken well to it. Sayuri doubted the girl even saw what had happened.

The other teammate stood next to her quietly, not the least bit concerned. He didn't seem confident in his teammate though, meaning.. He didn't care the end result.

What kind of team was this, she wondered.

Her attention was drawn back to the fight at hand when Sasuke finally stood back up. She had expected him to quit, but he was actually smirking now. Perhaps he had a plan? He stretched for a moment before exchanging a few quiet words with Lee, then revealing his Sharingan. The girl of his team seemed awe-struck, but his opponent could not have cared less about this development.

Sayuri turned to Naruto to see what he was thinking, and his expression mimicked Lee's. "It won't make a difference." Naruto announced, sighing deeply. He seemed disappointed. That was odd to her. He seemed to be confident in the Green clad shinobi before, but had he expected more from the Uchiha anyway?

She didn't have time to ask him as the fight began again. She had expected a better result this time, with the legendary sharingan coming into play, but the Uchiha was sent flying into the air just as quickly as the first time. Only, this time, Lee did not stop there. He was in the air not even a second later, positioning himself right under the Uchiha for a follow up attack. "Dancing leaf shadow." Was the name of it.

The bandages around Lee's arms began to unravel in preparation for the attack, but before it could come to an end, or even really get started, A pinwheel (haha) pinned the bandages to the opposite wall. It did not come from Sasuke though. She followed the flight path of the pinwheel only to spot a larger version of Lee. Anyone could tell who that was.

"Shows over. Not that it could be called a real show," Naruto announced with a sigh. His eyes were intently focused on Maito Gai, examining the man from head to toe. It only lasted for a few seconds, watching the large man chastise his student.

"Well, let's get going. We should head to the exam room now." Naruto suggested, earning a nod from both Sayuri and Hiroshi.

"You were right, Naruto." Hiroshi admitted, laughing a little. "That Lee kid is serious. I can't say the same about the Uchiha, but I can tell he's a lot stronger than he showed there." As much of a one-sided victory as that fight was, the Genin known as Lee did not reveal a thing except that he was a taijutsu expert, which was already knowledge they possessed.

"Have I ever steered you guys wrong? I just hope the Uchiha gets stronger.. I was looking forward to fighitng him." Naruto joked.

Sayuri remained quiet, looking at Naruto curiously. Naruto did enjoy good fights, but his interest in the Uchiha was offputting. She had heard of plenty of people wanting to try their luck against an Uchiha just because they were Uchihas, but Naruto.. Seemed to know something more. And knowing him, he probably did.

Kakashi's was torn about the situation. He got to see Sasuke fight someone who wasn't on his team. He wasn't surprised at the outcome. In fact, he was a littl happy. Sasuke was good but he never had someone to make him fight for his title of rookie of the year. He never had someone to compete with. He never had a rival. He never tasted defeat. Until now.. This was exactly what the Uchiha would need to make a great leap in his combat ability. It might also humble him. It was all a good turnout.

He felt bad though, because something else caught his attention outside of that fight.

Rather, someone else. A Genin from the mist village that watched the fight. He seemed bored watching it. Not bored as in not caring, but bored as in, he expected it almost as much as Kakashi did. No, maybe more.. Kakahi couldn't see what he was saying from this far and at this angle he couldn't read lips, but he was sure the (primarily) blond genin was telling his team to watch. Not for fun, but for learning. And they listened without fail..

Not only that, but.. There was something deep down in Kakashi's heart, he thought. There was something familiar about that boy.. Maybe he was imagining it. Still, one could never be too careful. He would have to keep watch of the boy. And look underneath the underneath.

Sayuri stood quietly in the examination room. It was a very large room but even still it didn't seem like enough room for all the genin present. And like the other room before it, it seemed like a powder keg just waiting to go off.

She noticed that Lee character again, as well as the Uchiha. And then there was .. Well, everyone else. Her team sat patiently near the left corner of the room, closest to the door. This was a good vantage point to examine everyone for themselves.. And also, En enjoyed having his back to the wall. Much harder to be snuck up on from there. And he would know.

Speaking of En, his face was scrunched up in a little ball. There was this lanky genin in glasses from the hidden sound village who introduced himself as Kabuto to the room. Naruto seemed to have an issue with the Genin right away. Meaning she did. And it wasn't just because she would follow Naruto's lead without fail, either. But his intuition about people was never wrong. She didn't expect for it to be proven so quick though...

The Genin had pulled out some little shinobi cards. He said they would show information of any Genin in the room. It wasn't so special to their team in particular, since two thirds of them studied bingo books almost religiously, but since none of the Genin present were in the bingo books themselves, it did have information that they did not.

And like bees to honey, some Genin flocked to him immediately.

The Uchiha asked about Lee and some genin asked about that Genin from san, Gaara. And then.. Gaara asked about En-sama. The action brought a rather strong glare out of her.

"Oh? N Uzumaki? OH! This looks like a good one," Kabuto laughed, turning to face Naruto and his team. "It says here that N. Uzumaki is a very well rounded Genin. He's even earned praise from the Mizukage. He is noted as having high capabilities in Ninjutsu, due to his larger than normal chakra reserves. He's also well acquainted with Taijutsu. Even.. dabbling a bit into Fuinjutsu? Oh, that's interesting, N-Kun" Kabuto teased.

Naruto just leaned his head back a little, smiling back at the man. Sayuri noticed that Naruto wasn't as unhappy as before. The smile, of course, wasn't entirely genuine. He wasn't the egotistical kind sort, but something did happen unbeknownst to her. If he could show it, she imagined En would be smirking. He must have found some valuable information.

"As far as missions go.. Oh, he's right there next to you, Mr. Gaara. He's completed an A-rank, 1 B-rank, and numbers C ranks. Not many D-ranks though. Unsurprising, considering that his Jounin instructor is the Bloody Demon of the Mist, Momochi Zabuza. They seem to get right into the action. He's got just as many recorded kills.. And is a full blooded, honest Uzumaki. Pretty rare breed you are, huh?" Kabuto laughed again, but nobody else seemed to be laughing with him.

People were looking at Naruto, unsure of what to think of him. He was a goofy looking kid, unlike Gaara. He was smiling and had bright blue eyes and an open demeanor. He was nonchalant. Not threatening in the least. Gaara looked like he'd kill you just as soon as you looked at him. But since everyone elses information had been correct, they didn't doubt the blonde.

"Oi, wait." Hiroshi spoke from Naruto's side, staring closely at the card. "Just N? Your card is missing a letter." He stated. "His name is spelled E-N. En."

This earned a confused look from Naruto and Sayuri.

"No. Just N." Naruto corrected, looking at Hiroshi oddly for a moment.

"Wait.. what? Just N? I've been calling you En all these years. Why didn't you say anything?"

"They both sound the same and neither of us saw it written. I assumed you were saying N."

"But that's not a real name!" Hiroshi was beginning to become flustered now.

"So?" Naruto teased, laughing a little.

"Sayuri knew, right, Sa-yu-chan?" He spoke in a singsong voice with an earsplitting smile on his face... Only, it disappeared when he did not recieve a response. Naruto turned to Sayuri and saw that she was staring at the ground, a disappointed look on her face.

"Sayu-chan.. You.. Didn't know either? But you and I were supposed to be real close, ya know?" Naruto poked, feigning heartbreak.

"I am sorry, N-Kun." She whispered in disbelief. She actually did feel bad.

While the Mist team talked, everyone else had turned their attention back to Kabuto, who had somehow managed to piss of a team from the Hidden sound which sparked a physical altercation. "Kabuto has some secrets," Naruto stated, eyeing the genin who seemed to be getting bullied by the sound nin. He became serious then, quickly gaining his teams attention.

His persona was fake, Naruto could tell. His movements and actions... He was in zero danger, but he did look like a weak victim. That's what he wanted.

"The information he has is not so easily obtainable. Not off limits by any means, but they are straight out of our shinobi files. He knew the name on my file, even when you did not. He knew I was training in sealing, which was only told to Zabuza and the Mizukage. And the exact mission record of our team. Conclusion, he gained access to those files, or someone gave him the information prior to meeting us." Naruto stated in a hushed whisper.

 _But also, he doesn't know more than what's on those files. He doesn't know that I'm a jinchuriki. He doesn't know my REAL name and he doesn't know I killed before I was enlisted.. Or the true extent of my training. I'm a little insulted, but this is good. He revealed too much of his hand._

His mind was working quickly. Something wasn't right about this Kabuto guy, and Naruto would be sure to watch him.

Sayuri looked at Naruto carefully. She knew he was serious, and would pay close attention to the movements of that particular Genin as well. She frowned for a moment before as a realization hit her. Where would she be without N? He was able to pinpoint major threats with little to no prior information. She was smart herself, and observant, but it was like he was two steps ahead of her the entire time. She wasn't jealous, but it did worry her. Was He that good or was she simply lacking? she wasn't sure.. But she wanted to get better.

Well.. This would be a perfect time.

 **A/N:**

Hello All! Long time no see. Sorry for the long delay and short chapter. I try to avoid this but life has been a real pain in the ass lately. Being a manager at work, having computer technical issues and most recently a blizzard that some of you may have heard that is currently on the East coast. It's annoying, but I promise I haven't forgotten or given up on this story. My updates should be a lot quicker than this one.

Also, forewarning for the next chapter; The first exam has always bored me so I may skip it, detailing the results and any notable events in the next chapter. I'm unsure though at this point. Anyway, I'm off! I'll see you all in the next chapter!


	6. The Hunt

**CHAPTER FIVE**

The first exam was too easy for Naruto and his team. They were well trained in the area of stealth, after all. Cheating on a test? Zabuza would have cleaved their heads with the Kubikiribōchō had they failed. Not that there was any doubt for them. Actually, they probably had the easiest time of all teams. Naruto, as per the usual, was ahead of the curve. He figured right away the true purpose of the test. Testing their skills in stealth and more importantly, testing their heart. Stealth and Heart; His team had both in spades. He almost considered not even bothering to fill out his test, but decided that he should use this chance to test himself.

Yes. It was easy. Not even worth mentioning, he thought. Thought, being the keyword. It seemed others had a harder time of it. People were being eliminated left and right. Breaking under the pressure or getting caught to quickly and too often. It was.. Merciful. If they couldn't even handle this, how could they be competent shinobi? They Couldn't, Naruto decided. Not at this time. And this was just the first exam, so if someone who couldn't make it past this had to come up against a challenge more unforgiving and punishing.. They wouldn't be in the best position.

The second exam for example, had him excited. He and his team would be exploring what the second exam proctor had aptly named, the Forest of Death. From the outside, it looked huge and he knew that on the inside it would be even better, being a forest with a variety of deadly plants and animals. Not to mention combating other shinobi from foreign villages. It was something he had never heard of from his previous life in Konoha. It was a complete unknown variable. And that.. That was new for Naruto. He had eyes in countless books, scrolls and tomes at all times spread all over. How had this little gem slipped past him?

The proctor, Anko, seemed to like the place too. Her whole demeanor was bright while talking about the place. Someone with her attitude and reputation liking this place, was a good sign.

Unfortunately though, Naruto got so caught up in his excitement he had managed to stop paying attention to his surroundings. Well... As much as he could with foreign shinobi surrounding him on all sides. But it was too much for the proctor, Anko, to let slip.

He was jerked from his thoughts as he sensed and heard a kunai approaching, rather quickly. His eyes tracked it well enough and his brain put together that he was in no danger. It would hit his cheek, causing no more than a small cut. If he dodged left, it would kill him. If he dodged right, he would be completely unharmed. That being said, he didn't move at all. In fact, after the kunai hit, he took it one step further and pretended he hadn't seen it coming at all, jumping and covering his face, far, far too late for a shinobi.

"Ah!" He shouted, looking like the biggest fool in the area.

Too many people saw him as a target because of that Kabuto guy, if he appeared weaker than what Kabuto made out, maybe some people would chalk his mission record up to luck. That was the plan, anyway.

Anko was right behind him now, right on time. He had known she was coming from the moment he sensed the kunai. He hadn't expected her tongue to slide along the freshly made cut on his cheek though. The action brought a blush that could be played of as embarrassment at being caught off guard or being sexually attacked by the Jounin. It didn't help that her lips were right next to his ear and the whiskers that were hidden from view and her warm breath brushed over both, overly sensitive body parts.

"It's dangerous to space out like that in such a hostile environment, gaki." Anko spoke into his ear.

The action brought made Sayuri glare daggers at the Jounin, though it made Hiroshi smirk. He knew his teammate was fine. Sayuri did too, but that wasn't what she was angry at. How dare she do such things to N-Sama.. And how dare HE allow it to happen? And most importantly.. How DARE he appear so weak to these people? This wasn't the strong, always on guard, always ready and always calm N that she knew. That was the person she followed without a doubt. This N.. This was not him. She understood the logic of it, of course. She knew he was TRYING to look like a target not worth the trouble. But.. It hurt her to see him like this, even if it were only for a moment.

"Of course, you weren't really that surprised, hmm?" Anko added in a whisper. Of course, the Jounin wasn't thrown off by his little ploy, but she wasn't the one that mattered.

"Ah-ah! I-I'm sorry Proctor-san!" He almost shouted, holding up his hands in defense, not that it would help with her being behind him. "I was just uh.. Trying to think of a strategy!" He stated, not sounding sure at all.

Every shaky word was like a nail into Sayuri's head.

"Haha! Well -" The woman stopped as they sensed another presence moving right behind them. Anko drew another kunai, but Naruto didn't move except for his head, his eyes taking in the form of a shinobi.. He had not noticed before at all...

"I was.. Just returning your kunai," The shinobi spoke. They were from Kusagakure, Naruto noted. Another unknown for him. But.. The look in this persons eyes was unsettling, even without being directed at him. No, there was more to it than that. The way he was looking at Anko, and how close he was.. He was a Genin taking a predatory stance over a Jounin. He was holding the kunai with an elongated tongue, a characteristic even more rare than the sharpened teeth of the Seven swordsman of the Mist; Most noticeable to Naruto though, was the comfort in his position and the look in his eye toward Anko.

He knew her.

This clearly wasn't caught by Anko, but she was bothered none the less.

"Well.. thank you Kusa Nin." She spoke through gritted teeth. "You know.. I really only recommend you standing this close behind me, if you wish to reach a premature lives end."

She took the knife from the mans tongue then, never breaking eye contact. They exchanged a few more words, but any information that could be gleamed from the two had already been taken note of.

They were told the general basics of the exam then while they filled out their waivers. If someone were to die, it wouldn't be on the proctors, or more importantly, Konoha's hands. It seemed like a real possibility for most teams, too. They got a layout of the terrains and a hint at what they might be faced with inside, along with why this test was assembled for them. It was all easy stuff, but all you had to remember was get the opposing scroll, keep yours, and make it to the tower with your team alive.

The teams were allowed to pick their own entry points, so Naruto chose the gate directly behind Anko while the other teams spread out. No other team could see but Naruto decided Hiroshi would be the best person to hold the scroll for now and they might switch off later in case someone had gotten a peek at who was holding onto it, which they all doubted.

It wasn't long before the next exam began, but when it did, the start was explosive. Every team took off on a mad dash, looking to get into the even as soon as possible. Well.. Almost every team. Naruto hesitated for a bit, his teammates on either side of him. Anko was just about to taunt them before Naruto cut her off.

"Be careful of that Kusa friend of yours.." Naruto warned quietly, walking slowly into the forest, his mind racing.

Anko was caught off guard by the words but she recovered quickly. "I don't know that brat," She stated, crossing her arms over her breasts.

"Yes, you do."

Her eyes widened in confusion and wonder. She wanted to tell the kid off about being stupid or minding his own business, but.. The certainty in his words silenced her. Her eyes didn't leave Naruto until he disappeared into the foliage of the forest.

There was something very wrong here...

 **X-X**

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. It was a very difficult technique to master, especially considering the people who had the chakra capacity to do so were scarce. That being said, in the right hands, it was a very powerful and very useful technique; It was second nature to Naruto. The uses for it were endless in his hands and he demonstrated that now, again, to his team.

Soon after entering the forest of death he had casted the jutsu creating a multitude of clones that looked just like him, surrounding him on all sides. He took it a step even further by using the henge jutsu to disguise the most the clones as his teammates, making exact replicas of his three man cell. The clones split up without even having to be told. They stayed in a tight formation together, spread out in a large area surrounding the real team at the center.

The point of this was obvious. They had eyes on all sides now. Not only that, they were carbon copies of their originals. Nobody in this exam would be able to able to tell the difference, since the Kage bunshin were capable of everything a real shinobi could do, granted the had the chakra and could avoid being dispelled by taking too much damage. If someone attacked them, they could fight, competently. They weren't made to win fights, but if they were forced into an altercation, they would extract information on their opponent before being dispelled. What techniques they used, their strengths and weaknesses, maybe even what scroll they carried.

All the while the real team could focus going straight down the middle, planning an attack.

It had been two hours since Naruto had sent out his clones and already two batches of them had been dispersed, leaving behind two bewildered teams. One from the land of lightning and the other from the land of grass. Some of his clone teams had even opted for just sitting back and watching other teams fight when they could help it. That was even more helpful, Naruto thought. The only downside was he wouldn't be able to recover the information the clones gained until they dispersed. They would only disperse if they got information percieved to be extremely important or if they were defeated in combat. It was a good system, but not yet perfect.

It did the job though, and this was the perfect environment for it. The clones could hide and collect information by using the terrain.

"N-Kun." Naruto heard, being a little surprised at the words. It was what she was supposed to call him here, but he still wasn't used to it. The fact made him laugh a little before answering.

"Yeah?" He questioned, turning his head to Sayuri as they ran through the trees.

"That second exam proctor and that Kusa nin... What was going on with them?" She wondered. Normally, she probably wouldn't care, but clearly he saw something between them that not even the woman had noticed.

The question made Naruto frown a little. He was still curious about it himself. He had been watching the entire thing carefully, but he hadn't thought about it in depth yet. He hadn't seen Anko much from when he lived in Konoha, but every encounter was memorable. Not that they had really spoken on all of those encounters, but ...

 **Flashback**

She was just like him. They didn't have to speak for Naruto to tell that much. She was walking his way down the crowded streets and for the first time, not everyone was looking at him in disgust. He should have felt good about that, but he couldn't. He knew Why they weren't all so focused on him, and it was because they were giving the same looks to her. There was only a subtle difference between how she was treated and how he was. People were more cautious about being outwardly nasty to her. They would wait for her to get far enough away before speaking her name in disgust.

She was a full fledged shinobi, after all, and not nearly as forgiving as he was.

She knew, though. You could tell by the look in her eyes that she knew. She looked and probably felt like she was out of place. Like she wasn't wanted by anyone around her. He knew the feeling. He could see it in her plain as day. Actually, he could even feel it..

His own pain and resentment seemed to reach out and connect with her. He didn't understand why, yet, but would later learn of how sensitive he was to people's emotions, especially negative ones. The Kyubi inside him caused that...

She didn't house the Kyubi though. She was treated so poorly because she was considered a traitor. She wasn't trusted. Naruto knew why, but it didn't make sense. She wasn't a traitor. She was here. Despite the way she was treated, she was here. She had never done anything to deserve being treated like this, which is what made it more painful to watch. It was her sensei, Orochimaru.

He had fled Konoha, leaving nothing but destruction and dread in his wake.

It wasn't fair, Naruto thought, for her to be hated for something she had no control over. He wanted to reach out to her and to speak the words that always echoed in his head when things were going wrong. Whenever he felt desperate or alone. Whenever he felt lost.

 _It will be Okay._

But he didn't. He couldn't. They walked past each other, the two people who could probably understand each other more than anyone, and neither of them spoke a word. They went on about their miserable lives, alone, wondering how much longer until something would change.

 **Present Time**

Naruto was silent for a long moment, his face scrunching up in thought before he answered.

"She doesn't have many people who could know her from outside the village," He spoke, more to himself than to Sayuri. The missions she went on weren't exactly.. The kind to leave survivors. She was known for her assassination. And torture. followed by assassination again. Not that a foreign Genin would know her either way. The only reason HE knew her was because... He was from Konoha.

The elongated tongue. The comfort. The familiarity with her. The speed.

No.. That wasn't pos-

 **Are you that naive, now?** The Kyubi chimed in, already aware of what it's host was thinking.

 **Not possible? I'd expect more from you, brat. You are in the world of shinobi. There is no law and there are no restrictions. Your thought process is sound and logical. The moment you stepped foot into this village you knew something is wrong, and the pieces are coming together. Anko had one note worthy relationship and that was the sensei-student relationship she shared with Orochimaru. Do you recall the way he stood over her? Right at home. You know, right, brat?**

In his mind, Naruto was staring into the large eyes of the Kyubi as everything registered in his head. The Kyubi was right, of course. It all made sense, but he didn't want to believe it. Why would Orochimaru be posing as a Genin? Why would he be back here?

 **You only knew of Anko because you are from Konoha and have done your homework. Orochimaru knows her better, but nobody knows Orochimaru. You've read everything on him but that won't help you to understand his reasoning so easily. But if you take into account that he isn't just a scientist, not just the fiend who abandoned Konoha.. If you remember that he too is a Shinobi on the quest for power...**

 _I don't know why he is here, but as a shinobi, there is a reason, hidden somewhere. He is planning something, and for him to be here himself, it's large. He can't be alone. It would gain him nothing. Even he can't take on this village alone. But who is backing him, if it is him. No. Deeper than that, why is he HERE right NOW? He's in the forest of Death. He could have infiltrated the leaf as anyone, but he chose a Genin entering the exam. Whatever he is looking for, it's here inside the Forest of Death._

The Kyubi grinned, baring it's large fangs to it's container. They were on the same page.

 **His resentment to Konoha and it's people.. I can feel it already. Whatever he is here for, it will be violent. And personal.**

Naruto scowled at that, but said nothing more.

 **What if that is the case, Ningen? What if he seeks to destroy this place? What then? Wouldn't that be nice? After everything they have done, wouldn't you like -**

 _That's enough, Kyubi.. You should know already.. I don't know what I'll do, but.. I'm better than them, and better than Orochimaru._

The Kyubi laughed darkly in his mind, and not a second later, all was silent. The Kyubi knew Naruto, and maybe that was the problem. The Kyubi said the things he did for a reason. The Kyubi knew his feelings even better than he did, sometimes. He was conflicted with the predicament, and the Kyubi was taking advantage of that. There was a reason for that, though.. The Kyubi wasn't usually this harsh unless there was a reason.

He had to conront his demons; Not meaning the Kyubi.

'But first.. This forest will be a challenge of it's own.' Naruto thought quietly.

"There are big things going in. We have to deal with the exam first though.. And I know just where to start." Naruto stated, a wicked grin spreading across his face.

 **X-X**

"Think we're far enough in to stop?" The voice belonged to that of a female genin from the hidden cloud. Her two teammates were on either side of her. They were surrounded on all sides by trees and plants. The hope was that with their position they would be hard to spot and anyone approaching would make enough noise to give them warning. It was a good spot to set up shop and formulate a plan. And if need be, they could camp here, since there were nearby water sources.

"Yah. This is good. Most the fighting will take place around the middle of the forest, not too far from the major water sources or the tower. We can pick off tired teams here. It's a good ambush spot. Or we can scout out the other enemies." Her teammate spoke, causing the other two to nod in unison.

It was a good plan, honestly.

Or it would have been.

"Alright then, where-" One of the Genin was cut off as he noticed a subtle mist sweeping in. "Oh great, first wild animals and now stupid weather." He whined, looking at the rest of his team who couldn't help but sigh. "This forest is full of weird stuff, remember? A little mist is the least of our worrise. It will help us with hiding here, actually," The other teammate responded. It was sad, they had no idea.

It took only a few seconds before the mist covered the entire area around them. None of them minded though, until the mist became so thick they couldn't even see their own hands in front of their face.

She turned all around her, confused and her heartbeat beginning to race. "Wait! This mist.. It's too thick. It's too heavy, this isn't normal!" She called our to her teammates while drawing a kunai. She expected a quick response, but none came at all. Not from her teammates, anyway. Instead, another heavy voice spoke out.

"That's correct. Kirigakure no jutsu, Hiding in Mist Technique." Hiroshi spoke, his voice coming from directly in front of her. The girl didn't move, but held her kunai up in a defensive position. She couldn't see, but it was clear her opponent was comfortable in this position. Attacking blindly would do more harm than good. Just as she thought that, the mist began to disperse. In just three seconds she could see clearly again. She was now staring at the large Genin who had his arms crossed over his chest.

He wasn't trying to look intimidating, but that's exactly how he seemed to her.

"You realized too late, though. Now, neither of your other teammates have the scroll, so that means you have it. Kindly hand it over so that we may be on our way," Hiroshi stated resolutely, his eyes never leaving the girl for a second.

The girl glared at the larger Genin for a moment before realization hit her. Neither of her teammates had it.. How did they know that? She quickly spun around to check on the two, letting out a audible gasp at the sight before her. Her teammates were there, but not at all like she had expected. They were both hanging from tree branches above her, rope tied around their feet. And it didn't look like they were conscious. standing on the rope that held one of her teammeates, there was Sayuri, a blank expression on her face. On the other, Naruto sat, with a bright smile on his face.

"Gomen, Kumo-chan. We had to incapacitate them to be sure there wouldn't be any resistance. They're completely fine though, I promise. Just knocked out. We're gonna keep you awake though, so you can watch over them until they wake up, ya know? Well, if you show us your scroll, that is. If it's not the one we need we'll go on our way, otherwise we'll be taking it. You can still proceed with the exam though, ya know? You just have to get two scrolls instead of one." Naruto explained, a warm smile on his face.

For some reason, that bothered the girl. She remembered the blonde from before the first exam. His team had decided to stay away from him, just in case. Not that it mattered now, but she realized it was a good decision to make. His team had completely overun them in seconds, before they even realized that they were in danger.

Maybe that was a good thing. An outright fight with them would be even more devastating.

"Is there really a point in explaining, N-kun?" Sayuri cut in. "Her situation is clear. Forfeit her scroll, or forfeit her chance at passing the exam." Hiroshi nodded at this assessment, making Naruto scratch his head.

"Well, we said the same thing. I just said it nicer, ya know? No need to be so hostile. Right, Kumo-chan?" He asked.

She had no choice but to concede.

"Hai.. I understand. I'm reaching into my pouch to retrieve the scroll. I will not attack," She stated. She swallowed hard in worry. She wasn't planning anything, but you never knew. Maybe they wouldn't believe it. Her worries seemed to be spot on because as soon as her hand moved to the pouch holstered on her hip, Sayuri and Hiroshi brandished kunai, but they made no move to attack yet, thanks to the blond holding up a calming hand.

"You guys are so uptight. She's being honest. Here," Naruto spoke, jumping down from his position on the tree branch to land right in front of the girl. She took an immediate step back, her eyes widening. What the hell was going on? She didn't dare take her eyes off of him. Being the obvious leader of their squad, and being right in her face..

"Don't worry. This is more for your safety," He assured the girl. She could understand his logic, but it was still worrisome.

She nodded slowly before continuing to reach into her pack. After just a few seconds she had managed to get her hands on the scroll. She didn't waste any time handing it over, albeit reluctantly.

"Ooh, Heaven Scroll. Looks like we were lucky, Dattebayo." Naruto informed his team, tossing the scroll over his shoulder. Sayuri caught this one, smirking in victory as she tucked the scroll away.

"Which means she, is unlucky."

Naruto nodded in the affirmative, though he didn't stop smiling at the girl. "Ne, I wouldn't be too worried. We're still very early on in these exams, y'know? You'll just get two scrolls now!" Naruto exclaimed.

The girl was confused. Not by his words, of course. That was plain and simple. She didn't understand the way he seemed to be rooting for her though. He didn't say she had to get two scrolls now, but that she WOULD get two more scrolls. She doubted that would be the case. What if other teams were as strong as his was? Actually, no. Maybe his team was the best? So everyone else would be easy in comparison. She could only hope.

"Hai.." She responded, looking away from the blonde. No matter how you looked at it.. This was disappointing.

"Then, I'll see you in the third exam."

She turned her head to respond, but the words never left her mouth. There was no point. They had disappeared. She was alone and there wasn't a single trace that they had ever been there, with the exception of her team still hanging above her.

 **X-X**

"That was easy," Hiroshi spoke, grinning to himself.

"Too easy..." Sayuri responded.

"Yeah. We were too lucky. We didn't get a real fight in.. But now that we've seured both scrolls.. We could do some hunting!" Naruto suggested, laughing to himself.

"Hunting?" Hiroshi questioned, not liking the sound of the suggestion. Yes, he wanted to test himself, but not by risking his chance at completing the exam. "We can't be too careless here, N." He warned.

Naruto just shook his head, a large grin splitting across his face. "That's where you're wrong. This is the perfect chance for us to be careless. We can't do it on a real mission, y'know?" He pointed out. Not that this was a _safe_ place. In fact, there was danger lurking around every corner. But that was why he wanted to prolong going to the tower. There was more danger here than there was outside the exam. Orochimaru..

He didn't wanna fight the guy, as he knew he would lose. But he did want to understand why the snake was here. It was vital. And he wanted to see the other teams. Who they were, what they could do. Whose side they were on. He was driven by acquiring the knowledge he would soon need. Whether he became a Chunin in these exams wasn't as important as the information he could gather from them. In fact, the information he gathered could determine whether they lived through the exam or not.

Still, it was an incredible risk, and it was a bit much to ask of his team who didn't know everything that was going on.

"We are gathering intelligence that will be important. Not just goofing off. Now is the best time to do it, too.." He added.

There was a pause that was filled with silence before his teammates finally nodded their heads in agreement. It wasn't that they were scared to prolong their time in the forest, but it made them curious. N was taking this so seriously. It was strange.

"Good. Let's get going. This way."


End file.
